United
by NintendoGal55
Summary: AzureNintendo secondary sequel to "Sewing Basket", as if the events of that story were NOT a dream. Jack is consumed as he is obsessed with Christmas, and also, with wooing his beloved Sally. Rated for suggestive references.
1. Truths

**NintendoGal55: Here it is, folks! The other "What if?" sequel to **_**Sewing Basket**_** :D This time, however, done as if the events of that story were NOT a dream!**

**Basically, we are following the events of the movie, only with Jack and Sally already together. ;)**

**Azure129: Hey all! Lol, NintendoGal is SO awesome and super cool for editing all of this stuff, and we hope you enjoy our other sequel to Sewing Basket! I love this one tons :D Please R&R! Thank you!**

**Enjoy! :D**

**Tim Burton owns these awesome characters!**

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><p>Some time into the morning after the newly formed couple exited the graveyard, and made their way back to the laboratory, there was a wave of anxiety in the air. At least on Sally's part. She felt nervous and scared of what the Doctor might say or do about this, especially since this more than likely had to be the last straw for him. For the first time, she felt more than just a bit guilty. She felt very guilty.<p>

Her actions had led to her not only violating the Doctor's trust yet again, but it also led to her lying AND running from Jack...something she had hoped NEVER to do. While his assurances from earlier helped, she still couldn't help but feel insecure about that.

But now, the moment of truth had come.

They were inside Dr. Finkelstein's lab, together (with Sally asking for Jack's help to vouch for her), and facing up against the old doctor. He looked at Sally with hard eyes, expectantly, waiting for her to say something.

Sally took a breath, comforted only by Jack squeezing her hand gently. "Doctor, I...I first just want to say that I'm sorry. There is...a reason I snuck out last night. While I will not use it as an excuse, but I will tell you the truth. I snuck out my window, and...I brought a basket of some gifts for Jack, which I delivered to him. I...I was worried about him and I wanted to give him something to keep his mind off things."

Jack nodded, instantly feeling the need to add something on her behalf. "Yes, doctor, she really did just come to check up on me. I didn't realize she had snuck out though of course or I wouldn't have kept her for so long, And she really did...erm...assist me..." He couldn't help swallowing and looking off to the side with a touch of distress. After all, Jack...had a feeling that if Doctor Finkelstein didn't like Sally sneaking out...he...probably would neither be too thrilled with her doing so to woo the Pumpkin King. Jack sighed and just did his best to look back to Dr. Finkelstein and go on for now. "A-Anyway, I was about to take her home when we heard you coming and then I couldn't find her and you asked me to help you look for her, and I'm sorry I didn't let you know then that she had spent the night with me..." Jack blinked... "I-I mean, spent the night _at my house_, heh...B-But I was just worried that she would never come back if we both went stalking off together to find her so I went off alone and discovered her and gently explained to her that she needed to come home to you and explain the situation and so...here we are." Jack did his best to smile but, even though he was the King...even he was sort of worried about the doctors potential to be very very VERY angry right now.

"Spent the night with you at your house?" Dr. Finkelstein was utterly shocked! "Jack my boy, you certainly shouldn't have had to put up with that! Sally you...you and why did you do that? Bothering the Pumpkin King like that..."

"I-...I didn't ask him to, I swear!" Sally said in panic. "I also didn't want to b-bother you and I couldn't get back into my room because I jumped out...the...win...dow..." She blanched if she could and then looked down in shame.

"Jumped out the window? Why would you do a silly thing like that?" The old doctor palmed his face. "Ridiculous! You could've been hurt!"

"Doctor, you know I can't feel pain..."

"You JUMPED OUT OF THE WINDOW!" Jack suddenly boomed, utterly in shock, looking right at Sally... '_She...She lied to me...again..._' And Jack right now wasn't sure what he was feeling more pain from: Sally putting herself in danger by jumping out of the window...or her lying to him again, however 'small' she might have thought it at the time.

"...Yes...I did." Was all she could say, not looking at either of them.

"And you didn't tell him that? You LIED to the Pumpkin King of all people!" Now Dr. Finkelstein looked a bit concerned. "You could have detached yourself completely and be left out there on the ground all night with no way to put yourself back together without help! Now explain! WHAT happened?"

"I opened my window, and I had no other way out. I jumped out. And yes, I did lose a few of my limbs, all but one arm. Then I put myself back together and left."

Dr. Finkelstein groaned, shaking his head. "Unbelievable!"

"You lied to me again..." Jack couldn't help saying it quietly, sort of a blank look on his face, looking forward and down. He knew she probably already felt badly enough...but...he...he felt badly too and also...he'd just spent the better part of the previous night opening up to her in ways he had never opened up to another person ever in his entire existence...Giving her access to vulnerable, untouched pieces of who he was...and it was hard to square that with the fact that she had lied to him...twice now...and all during that wonderful night together. It was enough to almost make one wonder if everything had been a lie, although of course Jack knew better...He could feel the truth of her feelings for him...But still, it made the horrible doubt creep up and...it hurt...considerably...

Jack swallowed and looked to the doctor and spoke calmly and sincerely. "Doctor...She's right. I saw she was outside so I invited her in so that she wouldn't get hurt out there. It was my pleasure. I know how important she must be to you. I'm just so sorry you had to be worried all night because of this and I hope you'll accept my sincerest apologies on both of our behalves..." Jack gave a small bow.

Dr. Finkelstein sighed. "Don't you worry about it, my boy. If anything I should be sorry for having her drag you into her weaved web of sneakiness and lies. As for YOU, Sally..." He glowered at her with anger and disappointment. "You are not getting out of this easily."

By now Sally was crying, realizing just how much she wanted to kick herself for lying AGAIN, to her beloved. He likely felt he couldn't trust her. "Yes Doctor...I take full responsibility for everything I had done. Especially in l-lying...t-t-to Jack..." She sniffled, looking up again. "And I won't sneak off again."

"You said that last time, and look what you did!" The doctor fumed. "You are confined to your room for the rest of the day, and you are to do extra chores around the house! You will not leave unless it is for important errands, to which Igor will assist you with! You may come out if you behave. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes..." Sally nodded.

"Good. Now, you had better apologize to Jack for all this! You lied, and even got him involved in your shenanigans! And look him in the eye when you do this! None of that shy business!"

A gulp escaped her throat, but, she knew what she had to do.

Facing Jack, and looking him in the eye, she wiped her own eyes and began. "I'm _very sorry,_ Jack. For everything. I had lied to you, and you deserve better than that. For that I hope you accept my sincerest apologies. You were good to me, and yet I dragged you into this when you clearly had much better things to do. I will understand if you're not ready to trust me right now, I will understand completely. I just wanted you to know I'm sorry."

A part of her wanted to flee and run to her room and hide, without waiting for an answer...but right now, she just couldn't do that. It would only add insult to injury, and she wasn't about to make this any worse. No, she stood her ground, and awaited his response.

"Doctor..." Jack let out a small breath and glanced over at Finkelstein, "May I...have a moment alone...to speak with Sally? I promise, I'll be brief..."

Now Sally was scared. Now they were going to talk alone? She had a very bad feeling about this. What if he was going to tell her he never wanted to see her anymore?

Dr. Finkelstein rose part of his face as if it were an eyebrow. He hadn't expected this at all. In fact, when they had come back, they were holding hands and there seemed to be some kind of a...spark between them. He had to wonder... As hesitant as he was, leaving his creation alone with a man, Pumpkin King or not, he wasn't about to deny a request like that. "Absolutely, my boy." He said, and wheeled out of the lab, shutting the door behind him.

Jack let out a breath...and then he swallowed and turned to Sally. Then he stepped forward, placing them close and right in front of one another.

Then he just let out a deep sigh.

"J-Jack, I-Mmm!" Before she could even begin he had come forward and wrapped his arms around her was was kissing her deeply and warmly upon the mouth.

Needless to say, Sally was quite stricken, her eyes had gone wider than diner plates! What was going on? It was all happening so fast! The Doctor left the room to leave them alone for a bit, to which Sally would have expected that they talk about things neither of them were quite ready to mention in front of her creator...but no, Jack had taken her into his arms and was _kissing her_. For a moment she was too shocked to do anything, but it wasn't long before she relaxed, responded in kind and clutched at his shoulders. Even in a moment like this, his kisses were by far irresistible, and it was hard to think about just what was going on through his mind at the moment.

Jack let out a deep sigh through his nose, savoring her, holding her, melting into her...forever...The seconds passed and passed...and then finally Jack gently relaxed his grip on her a little and delicately removed his mouth from hers. For a moment he just stood there holding her and panting a little to catch his breath. Then finally he swallowed and looked her in the eyes. "Sally..." he started softly.

Sally blinked a few times, trying to regain her breathing and her senses, as well as trying to make sense of all this. Why had he done that? What was it for? "...Y-Yes...Jack?" She managed, finding her voice, unable to keep from sounding anxious.

He looked directly into her eyes, reaching a hand up even to place under her chin and tilt it up so she would look directly into his as well. He spoke quietly and softly and very seriously. "Do you love me?"

Despite being a little surprised at the question, Sally nodded and answered with no hesitation, "Yes, Jack. I do love you."

Jack gave a small nod. "I love you too...But you musn't ever lie to me ever again...no matter what...Otherwise...even if we both love each other...I don't think we can be together, Sally. Do you understand?" he asked tenderly.

A stricken feeling coursed through her, and she unconsciously gripped his shoulders tighter. "I do understand, Jack... I'm so sorry. I promise you I will never lie to you again. I...I'm sure you may have a hard time believing that, and I understand. But I hope you know from the bottom of my stuffing, that I will never lie to you again."

Instantly both of Jack's hands were on either side of her face, cupping it gently. He moved closer, his forehead resting against hers. He whispered to her. "I know...I believe you...And I know why you told those lies and that they were small ones...but no more, not even small ones...not between you and I...Now..." one of his hands shifted into her yarn hair...a small smile started to return to his lips. "Kiss me goodbye, before I leave...?"

"No more lies...and...of course..." Sally smiled more for the first time since they arrived, and leaned in to meet their lips in a sweet, and even somewhat grateful kiss, releasing his shoulders and clasping his neck gently.

Jack removed his hands from her face and wrapped his long arms fully around her soft, adorable little body...He started to even lean her back a little, angling his skull...pressing more and more deeply into their perfect kiss of forgiveness...

"Sally, has Jack gone yet? I want SOUP and I want it no-WHAT'S THIS?" Yes, Dr. Finkelstein had just wheeled himself right into the room!

"Um! D-Doctor..it...it's not-we..." Sally had pulled her head back, though not moving from where she was, and bit her lip nervously. "Um..." She sighed, conceding. "...It's exactly what it looks like."

'_O-Oh dear..._' Jack utterly gulped and froze up and quickly turned around, though he still held her close. "I...Doctor...I...I'm sorry, please...let me explain. You see, we-"

Instantly though Dr. Finkelstein had wheeled himself forward and grabbed Sally's arm. "Sally is MY creation." He looked at Sally, his eyes narrowing. "So this is what you do-you not only sneak off and poison me but you go off spending the night with and tempting the Pumpkin King of all people!" He looked back to Jack now. "And Jack my boy, how could you...She's...She's a servant! And she's my servant to boot! What do you two have to say for yourselves?" He looked back and forth to them, almost snarling a little.

Again, Sally was scared to death and wanted to run off and hide. But, she wasn't about to do that anymore and leave Jack alone with the Doctor like that. Important figure or not, her creator was really not unlike an overprotective father trying to keep men away from his daughter.

"Doctor, please!" Sally cried, stepping forward in front of Jack in a protective way. "If you're going to get mad at anyone, it should be at me! Jack isn't at fault for any of this...and I...I love him...! Please understand this, Doctor... It isn't some kind of a stupid fling, I swear...I would never do that to him, or any man. Ever..."

Jack swallowed and now he knew he had to stop being worried and embarrassed and start helping his love. "Doctor..." Jack stepped forward as well, holding Sally from the side as he looked at Dr. Finkelstein, "Please...I know Sally is very special to you and I have no desire to 'steal' her...It's just...things have gotten...rather complicated...and I barely know how it happened but...it did...somehow." His tone gained some more firmness as he finished, "I love Sally, Dr. Finkelstein...very much, I think...and I can't lose that. Please, we didn't even realize...until last night...but we know now and of course we want you to share in it. Please, Dr. Finkelstein..."

For several tense seconds Dr. Finkelstein just sat there in silence. Then he let out a deep sigh. "Jack...I'd like to speak with you for a moment..."

Sally opened her mouth to protest, but then felt Jack's hand on her shoulder. When she looked at him, he nodded to her, and let her go. She nodded in return, understanding.

"Go make that soup, Sally." Dr. Finkelstein said absently, waving her off.

"All right." Sally cast one more worried look at Jack before she left the lab.

Now alone, Dr. Finkelstein looked over at Jack for a moment, his hard stare wavering quite a bit. "...Well then, my boy...you're in love with my...creation, then." He said finally.

Jack took in a breath and let out a breath...and then chose to reply quite simply and honestly (unable to help correcting Dr. Finkelstein's 'assessment' of the situation a little), "I am in love with, Sally." He gave a small nod.

The mad scientist was silent for a moment as he nodded slowly. "All right, how did she do it? Just how did SHE win you over? Explain!" He tried to sound angry, but it came out more in surprise and disbelief.

Jack blinked, almost considered getting a little defensive about his privacy with all of this for a moment, but then let out a breath again and decided that Dr. Finkelstein really did have the right to some answers, all things considered, and really it was an understandable enquiry. "I...She's just...perfect for me..." left his mouth on instinct, his gaze a little downward and his eye sockets wide, "She's calm and quiet and sweet and kind...loving and affectionate...happy and hopeful...I've never encountered that much in anybody else here, and...it touches me...and I can't deny it any longer, I suppose..." He brought his arms behind his back and looked to the doctor again.

As much as he tried not to be, Dr. Finkelstein was speechless. There was not one trace of deceit, doubt, irony, or anything that would lead him to say he was joking. And he also didn't even mention her...well, exterior assets. "I never would've thought, my boy..." He sighed, shaking his head. "I suppose that's why she's run off all this time... How long?" He demanded yet again.

"I..." Jack blinked, feeling a touch of fluster for a moment, "Well...I think that's a complicated question," he answered truthfully finally. "I...I don't know how long _she's_ loved _me_ exactly...maybe since the first time we met." He shrugged a little. "A-As for me though, I...have...liked her...more than anybody else, I think, ever since I met her...but I...didn't realize I had...romantic feelings for her until last night when we were talking. We were together and it just...came out. And before I knew it I confessed my love to her as she had confessed hers to me." He hoped that made sense and didn't sound nearly as ridiculous as he was afraid it might.

"So you've been seeing her since last night. When she stayed the night at your place." Now Dr. Finkelstein gripped his wheelchair a bit too tightly. "Nothing happened...right?"

"NO!" Jack instantly and firmly and sincerely replied, eye sockets wide, shaking his skull and holding up one of his hands. "I-I mean...w-well...nothing...terribly serious, at least..." He looked downward. "Just...W-well, like I said, nothing s-serious...A-And then I gave her a blanket and she slept out on the couch until the morning."

"All right then." Dr. Finkelstein calmed a little in his usual manner. "You just be careful not to turn your back on her, my boy...one day she may just poison _you_!"

"She'll never poison me...She'll never poison me or lie to me or leave me...or like me for something I'm not..." Jack stated firmly and confidently. "I trust her with all of my heart and I will make her so happy that she'll never want to do any of those things ever again..." And then, because he couldn't help it, he added...with just a touch of something hard in his voice, "...I'll never lock her away..."

A cough died in his throat, as he realized Jack had him there. Sighing, he shook his head a bit. "I only wanted to protect her from the outside world...she wasn't ready for it yet. I hadn't thought she would gain a restless and independent free spirit as her days since being created wore on."

"I...understand..." Jack did his best to be calm and level and diplomatic, "But...she's a person...Even if you designed her to be your servant, she's still a person...with a mind...and a spirit...and a heart all her own. And she doesn't deserve to be as lonely as she is... She's...brilliant, Dr. Finkelstein, utterly...brilliant...She needs to be free..." Jack's voice and face had softened at this point, unable to help doing so.

Studying him for a moment, Dr. Finkelstein sighed once more and nodded. "All right, my boy. I suppose I'll let her out...after all, since you're seeing her...may as well do it right..." He grumbled a bit. "You just be sure she's back by midnight whenever she's out and don't let her get into any trouble, my boy! And be sure nothing happens to her. Sally is still my creation and my responsibility, after all. Oh, and _NO_ funny business if at your home! Not unless you plan to marry her!"

Jack's eye sockets popped open wide again, fluster overtaking him! "I-I-I would _never_! W-We only kissed last night, after all..." He swallowed and did his best to get himself under control...but then he blinked as the doctor's words fully processed. "Wait...she...you'll...let her see me?" He almost couldn't believe it.

"Yes." Dr. Finkelstein replied, not looking at him. "But not for a while, my boy. She still needs to uphold her punishment and take responsibility. If she behaves, perhaps I'll let her go out tomorrow, but only if you are with her at all times."

Jack nodded. "Of course, I'd never let her out of my sight. I-I'd be her escort after all...I could never abandon her. I...want to...c-court her...honorably..." he added with a touch of shyness.

"I suppose I shouldn't expect less of that from you, my boy." Dr. Finkelstein remarked, shaking his head. "Just see that she doesn't cause you trouble, or get herself in trouble."

"O-Of course, not," Jack assured very sincerely with a nod... "And...Dr. Finkelstein?" he called after him unsurely.

The scientist had just been wheeling away when he turned around. "Yes, my boy?"

Jack looked at him very sincerely. "Thank you..."

Blinking behind his dark glasses, Dr. Finkelstein grumbled a little "You're welcome" in response before he wheeled over to one of his worktables. "You can go now if you wish, my boy."

"O-Oh, a...alright..." Jack nodded, stepping back a little toward the door. "Please...wish her well for me, Dr. Finkelstein...Perhaps I'll...come by tomorrow evening to take you up on that offer of taking her out...i-if she'll have me, of course?"

Pausing for a moment, Dr. Finkelstein considered it, and gave a mild shrug. "I suppose...if she promises to behave herself."

Jack smiled, hope coursing through him. "Alright then! Splendid! H-Have a pleasant evening then, Dr. Finkelstein. I'll see you tomorrow!" He gave a little wave and turned to head for the door, a spring back in his step.

"Good day to you, Jack my boy..." Dr. Finkelstein said with a faint smile. He did have a lot to take in, after all!

Meanwhile, Sally was downstairs preparing some soup. She wondered just what the doctor and Jack were talking about...and couldn't help but feel a bit anxious. Was it anything bad? Did he chastise Jack? Forbid him from seeing her? She couldn't help but imagine the worst. Going over to the cupboard, she peered inside for the Worm's Wart and Sweet Pea ingredients, when her eyes fell onto the jar of Deadly Nightshade that was still there.

Frowning at it, she pushed it to the far back of the cabinet, and took out what she needed before returning back to the large, brewing cauldron. She didn't seem to hear nor notice a presence descending the spiral ramp behind her.

Jack, meanwhile, was just heading down the staircase with every intention of leaving and locking himself away in his house for the next day or so...under the pretext of studying Christmas but partly to just daydream about his lovely Sally and her kisses. "Hmm hmm, hmm hmm, hmm hmm, hmm hmm..." He hummed a bit of the tune of that song he had heard her singing last night to himself as he proceeded to pass by the entrance to the kitchen area.

Humming? Was that...oh, it was Jack, and he was humming! Sally turned right around, nearly dropping her large stirring spoon. "Jack!" Was he humming her song?

Jack stopped dead in his tracks and gasped at his name being said in that voice. "Sally!" He blinked and turned his head and there she was in the kitchen, looking about as surprised as he felt!

"Oh, you're leaving...? ...Um...did...everything go all right?" Sally placed her spoon down and approached him.

Jack blinked once more...and then he let out a breath and glanced away...doing his best to hide a little smile. "Actually..." he waited for her to get closer, knowing she would thanks to her natural curiosity...Then he let his eye sockets go back to her eyes, "...Things went _splendidly_!" And instantly he was hugging her and picking her up and twirling her around in happiness.

"Oh!" Sally squealed in surprise, and brought her arms around him. "I-It did, Jack...?"

"Oh yes!" Jack placed her down and looked happily into her eyes, still holding her. "I explained everything to him, Sally, and I told him how much I care for you and how you deserve to be free...He said I could court you, my Sally...You can go out, as long as you're with me to keep you safe. And I'm to stop by tomorrow evening to come pick you up for an outing...if you'll have me of course?" He smiled just a little more at her.

"Really?" Sally beamed, and hugged him tight as well. "Oh, Jack...yes! I'd love to go out with you..."

Jack's grin went utterly goofy. "Oh Sally...thank you...it will be my honor to escort you...anywhere your heart desires..." He released his hold on her only to take up one of her hands and kiss the back of it tenderly.

"Ohh... Jack..." Sally beamed and giggled happily. "Thank you so much! That would be wonderful..."

"Everything's wonderful with you, my Sally..." He lowered her hand and gazed at her adoringly. "I'll miss you until then though..." his smile fell a little, "But...at least there's something to look forward to..." He did his best to let his smile pick up again though really...a whole day without her after all that had happened...It felt like an eternity.

"You're right...something to look forward to..." Sally brought her arms behind her back shyly. "Um...Jack?"

"Yes, dearest Sally?" he asked sweetly, tilting his skull to the side in curiosity.

"I...well I...I know I already did kiss you goodbye earlier...but um...well..." She looked down shyly, tipping her shoe along the floor. "Could I kiss you once more before you go? ...You know...to hold each other over...until tomorrow?"

Jack's eye sockets went a little wide for a moment...but then he just glanced to the side bashfully with a little smile, swaying a little on his feet. "I-I, well...o-of course, Miss Sally..." He chuckled a tiny bit and glanced to her. "You...certainly like kisses a lot, don't you?"

"Um! ...Well I...I...um..." Sally looked down shyly, still twirling the tip of her shoe along the floor.

Jack chuckled even more. Her shyness was just intoxicating. "You do, don't you?" he couldn't help prompting, his grin picking up on one side.

"...Yes..." Sally played with her hair shyly. "...Well, only because I love you...and...sharing them with you..."

"Well...what a coincidence..." And then Jack slid forward and suavely wrapped his arms around her waist as he added, "...I only love them so much because they're with you too..." He winked at her.

"Ooh..." Sally would've blushed if she could, and smiled shyly as she brought her arms around his neck. "...And Jack? ...I also wanted to say thank you. ...I was afraid you wouldn't want to see me anymore...after how I lied to you..." She looked down a bit, trembling.

"Oh...Sally..." Jack looked down at her with a small frown, speaking in a coo, "I know you had reasons for it...And I didn't mean to make you feel bad about it-I just felt...hurt...A-After all, I...shared so much with you last night, Sally...and the idea that there was any dishonesty between us after all of that...was painful to think of...and it made me have doubts... That's why I asked you not to do that anymore-I don't want to have doubts...I want to believe in us forever..." He smiled again.

"That's just it, that's exactly what I meant by that." Sally looked up again, biting her lip, but then smiled once more. "But I have to thank you for still...believing in us and giving me a chance, because from here on I will never lie to you and I will make it up to you, whether you let me or not."

Jack smiled more. "Sally, I appreciate your enthusiasm but you really don't have to 'make it up' to me...Just...be honest, like you said, and everything will work out between us."

Now she pouted. "Please, Jack? I really want to make it up to you..."

Jack blinked and looked at her curiously. "Well...if you really want to, I suppose you can...as long as you don't put yourself out too much of course." He smiled again but then the curious look returned as he added, "But...how did you want to make up for it, Sally?"

"Mmm...I'll think of something..." Sally said sheepishly, gigling. "I haven't thought that far ahead...but ooh! I know! I'll surprise you! Oh, what was I doing again? ...Oh, of course..." She leaned in closer and kissed him sweetly, tightening her hold on hmi a little.

"Mmm?" Jack hadn't expected her kiss so suddenly but...who cared, he adored it! He closed his eye sockets and melted in her arms and kissed her back tenderly, holding her snugly against him.

A little giggle escaped Sally at his surprised reaction, and she too melted against him, savouring their wonderful contact.

"Hmm..." Jack chuckled a little at the back of his throat. He knew they had to stop...if the doctor caught them he would probably be furious. And yet still...just...just one more to hod them over, as she had put it. He leaned her back a little, angling his skull more as he kept kissing her.

Indeed, Sally worried a bit about the doctor catching them kissing again (and knew he'd be furious if that happened), but oh, she was just so lost in him yet again! He loved her! He still wanted her! She couldn't help but feel a lot happier! Oh, his skull was just within reach...if she just lifted her hands...

She stopped herself very reluctantly. If she did that, they would be here for hours.

"SALLY!" The Doctor suddenly called from the lab. "That soup of yours ready yet?"

Annoyed, Sally pulled back, trying to maintain herself. "C-Coming!" She called back up.

"Hmm mmm!" Jack cleared his throat and did his best to straighten up and to remove his grasp from her but still...it was so hard...He wanted their date: he wanted to be alone with her on his couch after walking and talking together...the light's to be dim...and then they would come together...and... "Y-You..." Jack barely managed to get out... "You...should go...a-and so should I...for now..." He managed to take a step back from her.

"Right...yes..." Sally stepped back shyly. "Um...well...I'll see you tomorrow then, Jack...um...have a dreadful day, okay? And please take care of yourself..." She bit her lip in worry, recalling the premonition from earlier.

She was so sweet...so caring and concerned... "I will, my darling..." he nodded with a smile, "And you look after yourself as well...and have a dreadful day as well. Until we meet again..." He gave her a low, suave bow and then waved as he stepped back from her toward the exit.

"Ohh..." Sally held a hand to her chest as she tried to maintain her balance. "I love you, Jack..." She cooed sweetly. "Goodbye..."

"I love you too, dearest Sally...Goodbye..." Jack cooed tenderly before slipping away from her sight.


	2. Jack's Obsessions

**Azure129: Aw, I hope you guys like this! Prepare for Jack to make a definite public error XD It'll be fun though :D Promise!**

**NintendoGal55: That's right folks, here's more! This chapter is short, but it works. :)**

**Azure wrote the lovely rendition of **_**Jack's Obsession**_**! It's her favourite song in the movie, so it's no wonder she did a lovely job at it! OwO**

* * *

><p>Leaving behind Dr. Finkelstein's house, Jack swiftly raced back toward his own observatory home...and his mind was FILLED TO THE BRIM with things at the moment... '<em>Christmas is so soon, I HAVE to figure out what makes it so special immediately! I'll...I know, I'll lock myself away for the rest of the day-I won't rest until I've figured out how to capture its true essence! And then I...if I have it before tomorrow...I can share it with Sally on our...our date...She's so lovely and funny and nice-she'll adore Christmas if I can present it to her all wrapped up and ready for our taking...Oh but how to figure out this Christmas thing in the first place? There's just so MUCH to it! I'll have to run experiments, lots and lots of experiments...O-Oh and...I'll also...have to plan for my and Sally's date tomorrow...H-How does one go about such a thing anyway? What will she want to do...? What should I wear? I...I'm assuming we should go out to someplace...What if people tease us and she gets upset? What if...oh what if I can never figure out Christmas...and I can never figure out Sally...Where in the world will I be then?<em>'

Giving a melancholy sigh, Jack, finally having reached his front door, opened it and climbed up to the main floor of his home, where he plopped himself down on the couch just to rest for a moment. '_My and Sally's couch..._' The thought occurred to him and made him smile and even made a little tremble go up his spine...The place where they had...and he had...and she had...together...near the fire...The memory was unbearably pleasurable.

"Arf!" Zero came floating into the room from upstairs, going over to where Jack was. He had been wondering what was going on all morning, since his master and the lovely rag doll "friend" had been gone for quite a while, especially after the doctor showed up near the doorstep. Naturally, he was a little concerned and wondered when he'd be back. But now seeing him back, and despite how frazzled his master look, there was a smile on his face. So, being the curious dog he was, Zero floated over at his master's feet, looking up at him curiously. "Arf?"

Jack blinked and glanced over to his little canine companion with a smile. "Oh, hello, Zero..." he reached over and gently scratched the little ghost dog behind the ears, "I'm so sorry we left you so suddenly, boy...Things got, er...complicated." Jack gave a little sheepish shrug and then added, "A-And, um...I...I hope I and Miss Sally didn't...keep you up much or anything last night. W-We were just...exploring our friendship a little...thoroughly...and we sort of got carried away..." He cleared his throat and glanced away a little...though the smile growing on his face couldn't be helped.

"Arf?" Zero cocked his head and then smiled, his nose glowing brightly. He did a little spin before settling up on the couch next to him, still looking up at him with a smile and a touch of curiosity.

Jack caught the little dog's look out of the corner of his eye sockets and rolled them, placing his hand on the dog's back and letting out a sigh...still smiling a little though. "Yes, yes, I know? 'But Jack, I'm confused-I've never seen you invite a lady up here and I've never seen you get that close to one ever? What's going on? And where is she now? Is she coming back?'" Jack chuckled at all of the little imagined questions of Zero he could come up with just by observing the dog's curious look to him. "Well, boy..." he scratched Zero's back a little, turning to look down at him, "I...to answer your first set of questions, I invited her up here last night so she would be warm..and then I got close to her, I suppose, because I...like her...very much..." Jack's grin started to grow again.

Tilting his head, Zero didn't respond at first as he seemed to try to understand, but smiled all the more at how he was being petted, his nose still glowing a bit. "Arf!"

Jack chuckled at Zero's cute little bark. He sighed, his smile picking up on one side a little. "Alright, fine, you've got me, boy, I'll admit it. I...I'm madly in love with our dear Miss Sally. What do you think of that?"

Zero grinned in the best way that a doggy could, barking happily and wagging his sheet like a tail. "Arf! Arf!"

Jack blinked and then chuckled warmly at the enthusiastic response. "I'll just take all of that to mean you're happy with the situation...But you know I didn't even share with you the best part..." Jack leaned in closer and then whispered playfully to the little dog, "She's sort of madly in love with me too...Now what do you think of that, Zero? I won Miss Sally's heart-not bad for an old Pumpkin King, huh?" He winked down at the little dog.

"Arf!" Said Zero, nodding his head and doing a little spin before settling down yet again. Oh yes, he was quite happy for his master. For so long, it had just been the two of them, and while life as bachelors seemed glamourous and fantastic...it was downright dull most of the time. For quite some time, Zero couldn't help but imagine what life would've been like if his master found himself a nice woman he could love and settle down with, but nothing of the sort just ever came up. It seemed to come to a head, little did Jack realize, just last Halloween as his lonely emptiness seemed to be overtaking him all the more. But even before that, when he met that nice rag doll he talked about quite a bit, he seemed a little brighter.

And by now, Zero could not believe this good luck! Jack had found Christmas, which was enough to make him smile all the time, and now he had a lady love! What a turn of events!

Jack chuckled more at the dog's cute little antics. "I'm happy you're so happy, Zero. I'm...very happy too...So happy that I...thought I might take Sally on a little outing tomorrow evening to start courting her properly..." Jack sighed and shrugged. "Despite centuries of being a bachelor...do you think I can pull it off...and find a way to bring us all Christmas this year?"

Zero merely shrugged in the best way he as a ghost dog could, but he smiled in encouragement and nodded. "Arf!"

Jack just sighed and rested his skull back on the top of the couch for a moment. "Yes, we'll see, I suppose...But I certainly do hope so, boy...More than I've ever hoped for anything before..." For a moment Jack closed his eye sockets and just rested his mind and body, clearing his head from everything...And then when the few seconds had ended he took in a breath again, opened his eye sockets once more and sat up a bit, stretching his arms up.

"Well, enough lazing around-I have a brand new holiday to figure out...and a woman to woo...Let's begin!" And then instantly Jack was smiling and up and bustling all around the place, grabbing test tubes and garland and microscopes and sugar plums...maybe a fresh suit or two from his closet to look at them and decide what to wear for tomorrow. Yes, it was official: Jack was obsessed...and with two things at once now!

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, as this was going on, Sally had been working on some mending of clothes (and a new little outfit to wear for tomorrow...), and she was now taking a break to gaze out her window. Yes, her punishment was nothing new, and it was a drag, but in retrospect...this wasn't bad at all. She couldn't help but feel happy. Jack was in love with her too, just as she loved him, and he wanted to see her again, and tomorrow night they would go out together. She was so excited! Alas, it was barely even noon right now, with still so many hours to go!<p>

She sighed, and looked out toward Jack's home off in the distance. Most especially of the tower that rose from the house itself. A little smile came to her face as she rested her head in her hands, elbows perched on the bars of her window.

"I wonder what he's up to..." She murmured, smiling.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in the tall observatory house, Jack poked and prodded and pulled things apart he began to sing to himself, unable to help it as he had always found the habit soothing, especially during his more passionate moments.<p>

"_Christmastime is buzzing in my skull  
>Will it let me be, I cannot tell<br>There're so many things I cannot grasp  
>First Christmas and then Sally, until at last...<em>"

He held in one hand a candy cane...and in the other a single strand of red yarn that he had encountered upon the floor...A piece of her hair that had escaped her perfect head, he figured, smiling at the idea...

"_Through my bony fingers they do slip,  
>Like two snowflakes in a fiery grip<em>"

Jack placed the two items aside, stalking across the room with a determined look on his face to continue his song...and to move on to picking out the right bat bowtie to go with the suit he had chosen for tomorrow night.

"_Something here I'm not quite getting,  
>Though I try I keep forgetting<br>Like a memory long since passed,  
>Here in an instant, gone in a flash<em>

_What does it mean, What does it mean?_"

Jack sighed, looking at three bowties he was holding up in the mirror...They all looked roughly the same and yet...to him there were immense differences. "What in the world will she expect from me? What will she like? If I can't even figure out Christmas by tonight...how shall I ever figure Sally out by tomorrow?" He sighed again, finally selected a bowtie and placed it aside with his suit for tomorrow, and then paced off to his Christmas experiment again.

* * *

><p>A pair of binoculars were sitting under the floorboard where she kept certain objects, especially their letters to each other, and she briefly pondered whether or not to look through them. She didn't want to come across as a peeping stalker. Jack deserved his privacy! But she did want to see him...<p>

She reprimanded herself once more and replaced the floorboard. She couldn't do it.

Standing up, she went back to the window, peering out yet again toward the tower. She had a strange feeling all of a sudden that reminded her of the burning flower tree.

What did it mean?

She had drawn it out on a piece of paper, the charred remains of the tree flower, and pondered it continuously. She even envisioned it whenever she closed her eyes, and in her dreams and just seemed to haunt her. It wouldn't go away. Not only was it a sad or even disturbing image, but it seemed to mean something, which was why it stuck with her. She had concluded that morning that Christmas was going to be a disaster. Was it true?

She looked out the window at Jack's tower again, and then down at the drawing, biting her lip.

"What does it mean?"

* * *

><p>"<em>In these little bric-a-brac,<br>A secret's waiting to be cracked  
>These dolls and toys confuse me so<em>"

Jack had picked up a little toy rag doll that he had gotten from Christmas Town...and he smiled down at it...and gently reached out a fingertip to touch its soft face...

"_Confound it all, I love her though..._"

He chuckled and gently placed the little rag doll with his other precious Christmas trinkets.

"_A simple desire, nothing more  
>But there's something deeper, that's for sure<br>Though I do not have the key...  
>Something's here I cannot see <em>

_What does it mean? What does it mean?  
>...What does it mean...?<em>"

"What does it mean to...love her...?" Jack sighed, a touch of a frown coming to his face as he paused in his pacing. Love...It...something about it felt a lot more complicated than Christmas...What would it mean to love Sally? To truly, truly love her...? It was more than just liking her and kissing her to be sure...He just hoped he would understand more as soon as possible so that he could give her all she deserved from him... Jack sighed again and shook his head to clear it and then turned back to his Christmas brooding and experiments.

"_I've read these Christmas books so many times,  
>I know the stories and I know the rhymes,<br>I know the Christmas carols all by heart,  
>My skull's so full it's tearing me apart,<em>

_Yet as often as I've read them something's wrong...  
>So hard to put my bony finger on..<em>."

Jack paced over to his chalkboard and began to scribble furiously. Formulas with Christmas trees and bells...hearts and lips...

* * *

><p>'What is he doing in there? Is it anything like the night before? ...All those flashing lights... What in the world was he doing?' Within all of this, glancing to and from the window, Sally paced her room, trying to make sense of everything. The burning flower tree, Jack's strange discovery and liking for Christmas, and everything in between. Just what was going on? Sally felt so left in the dark, however informed she may have been in some ways.<p>

She looked yet again toward the tower, biting her lip. Indistinctly, she could see something move. Jack? She couldn't tell.

"Something's up with Jack..." She said softly, and paced again, now stopping at the window. "He's all alone up there, locked away inside... He hasn't said a word, I do hope he's all right..." Worry etched her artificial features before she paced again, holding her head. "Something's up with Jack..."

XXX

"_Though perhaps it's really not as deep as I've been led to think,  
>Am I trying much too hard?<em>"

He looked at himself in the mirror-half covered in Christmas decorations, half petrified over a girl...It couldn't be this...complicated...this impossible...None of it could...And perhaps...maybe...it wasn't...Jack turned his skull to the side curiously for a moment...and then started to smile.

"_Of course, I've been too close to see  
>The answer's right in front of me...Right in front of me!<em>"

His eye sockets lit up! '_Yes, that's...that's it!_'

He paced off and jumped to his library shelf ladder and pushed himself around the room, spreading Christmas decorations and lovesick looks all over.

"_It's simple really, very clear  
>Like music drifting in the air,<br>Invisible but everywhere...  
>Just because I cannot see it<br>Doesn't mean I can't believe it!_"

That was it! So what if he couldn't understand Christmas...or Sally...maybe he could just...have them anyway! What was the worst that could happen? Both were such lovely things...only good was bound to come from their presences!

"_You know, I think this whole 'love' thing,  
>Is not as tricky as it seems,<br>And why shouldn't I have just a little fun  
>After all, I'm a man and she's a woman, <em>

_And not just any woman but the most perfect one for me,  
>As newly necessary as this fresh Christmas tree,<br>And there's no reason I can find,  
>I couldn't have a Christmastime, <em>

_Or a romance, passionate and true...  
>And that's exactly what I'll do...! Hee, hee, hee, hee, hee!<em>"

Jack was all riled up and ready to fling open his windows and make an announcement to the whole waiting town!

* * *

><p>"Sally!" Dr. Finkelstein knocked on the door a few times.<p>

"Yes." Sally responded, letting him know she was still here. She didn't turn from the window though. It was getting darker, and she saw...strange flickering colourful explosive lights from Jack's tower. She frowned. What was going on over there?

"Good." And then he was gone.

The bad feeling from that morning only seemed to escalate. She had a very, very bad feeling at the moment. But why?

"I don't understand...what is Jack thinking of?" She wondered, pacing once more.

* * *

><p>It was at that moment that Jack, across the way, suddenly threw open his windows in a moment of passion and announced boldly and proudly...and at first a bit mistakenly... "EUREKA! This year, Sally will be mi-mi...I...m-mean...Th-This year, Christmas will be <em>OURS<em>! Heh..." Jack gulped, losing a touch of the wind in his sails. '_Oh dear...W-Well, here's hoping that no one picked up on that just now..._' he thought to himself nervously, looking down at all the townspeople.

* * *

><p>Almost immediately, Sally dashed to her window, peering outside toward the tower again. She was speechless. Any words that she tried to form up only died in her throat as she was unable to verbally express her surprise. While she wanted to blush at whatever he was trying to say in mentioning her name (she caught it), she couldn't help but let her worry and fear overshadow the moment he said Christmas would be theirs. What did that mean? Celebrate Christmas? But that didn't make thense. This was Halloween Town, they celebrated Halloween! And only just now they realized there was some other Holiday out there. So what then? What did he mean?<p>

Sally bit her lip yet again, and pounded her little fist on the bars, cursing the fact that she had no way of going to him and asking just what in the world he was thinking!

On top of that, it made her realize her premonition. This was what it was eluding to. Christmas wasn't just going to be a disaster. It was going to be a disaster because they would try to take over the holiday and celebrate it themselves.

"Oh no...I've got to warn Jack..." Sally held her head then, squeezing her eyes shut. She looked to her room door, then out the window again, and sighed before she slumped onto her bed, burying her face in her hands.

"Oh, Jack...I hope you realize what you're doing..."

* * *

><p>His little faux pas over and his announcement made, Jack left the townspeople to their celebrating (and possibly...probably...gossiping now...) and went back indoors, shutting himself in again. He let out a deep sigh of embarrassment. "Oh dear...I hope she didn't hear that..." He cringed a little and smacked himself in the forehead. " 'This year Sally will be mine!' " he mocked himself. "Well that was just brilliant, Jack, wasn't it...And perhaps next you can call a town meeting and tell them all in song about how you practically needed her to climb on top of you before you could get a clue about her feelings or your own!" He shook his head and walked across the room and tossed himself onto the couch, resting for a moment. "Zero," he called tiredly, his eye sockets closing, "Please wake me up when it gets dark so I can start organzing tasks for the citizens...and organzing my date with Sally, alright?" Jack nestled in for a little nap.<p>

"Arf!" Zero barked with a small nod before flying over to the tree to play with some Christmas decorations and chomp on the new candy cane Jack had gotten for him.


	3. Sally's Forewarning

**NintendoGal55: So as we said before, this is chronicling the rest of the movie...just with some changes here and there. ;) These scenes are one of them!**

**Read Sewing Basket first if you don't get anything. :D**

**Azure129: YAY, Sally tries to help Jack and then there's cute flirting! You know you want to read and review it, so please do! OwO Thank you!**

* * *

><p>The next day, a whole new set of events were taking place, in full swing in fact! It was all after Jack had announced that Christmas would be theirs this year. So with that, he needed help from everyone, which they were of course glad to do.<p>

At the Town Hall, the denizens were all waiting outside in a line, waiting to be called up for their turn to receive an assignment to help with Christmas preparations. Yes, they had less than two months to prepare, as opposed to having a year to prepare for one Halloween to the next, but they would make do with the time they had no problem. It was all so big, so new, they were very excited for it.

Sally was in line as well, which had earlier brought on a surprise when Dr. Finkelstein let her out that day and said they had to go to the Town Hall to receive their assignments. He had conceded, and wasn't about to deny an orde from the Pumpkin King, after all. So, there she stood, waiting, and rather than feeling excited, she felt anxious and worried. Her premonition had come full swing in a nightmare the night before. That there was smoke, fire, and just pure disaster. Christas was going to be a disaster, and she knew it far too well now. The bad feelings, the premonition, the signs...it was all coming together. She decided to take this as an opportunity to warn Jack about it. He had to know what he was getting into.

"Dr. Finkelstein! To the front of the line!" The Mayor called from inside, which cued the old doctor to wheel up in front of the line.

Inside, the Vampire Brothers were receiving their assignment. They were given a toy baby doll that when you squeezed, it made a strange little cute wail noise.

"Maaaaaaa!" It said.

"What kind of noise is that for a baby to make?" Exclaimed the Vampire brother that was holding it in one hand, his protective umbrella in the other hand.

"Perhaps it could be improved?" Jack suggested with a little smile and shrug.

"No problem!" Said another vampire brother.

Jack watched them leave and then turned his head to his next appointment for the morning. He cleared his throat a little awkwardly, not having seen Dr. Finkelstein since the 'Sally incident'. He did his best to be as polite and warm as possible as he addressed the doctor. "Doctor...Thank you so very much for coming."

"Jack my boy," Dr. Finkelstein said in a strangely pleasant voice. "You certainly felt quite bold to announce your..._intentions_ today." He then waved it off as he could see the Mayor listening in. "But we'll talk of...that, later, my boy. Now, what is it you need for me to do?"

Jack cleared his throat very distinctly, looking down in embarrassment. '_O-Oh dear...Oh dear..._' "I-I, w-well, er..." Jack did his best to regain himself and then he reached behind him and grabbed a story book and opened it to large picture of a sleigh with eight reindeer flying through the night sky. "We need some of these..." He pointed to the reindeer.

"Hmmm..." Dr. Finkelstein immediately shelved his "fatherly duties" for a moment and observed the picture thoughtfully. This was certainly interesting. Flying animals pulling a sleigh, was it? Yes, this could be done. He knew exactly what to do. "Their construction should be exceedingly simple, I think."

"O-Of course..." Jack replied, still with a bit of a stutter to his voice, "Wonderful, thank you..." He looked to the doctor with total appreciation. "If anyone has the genius in this town to build something like these on such short notice, of course it's you." He couldn't help adding the tiny bit of extra flattery.

Dr. Finkelstein smiled proudly. "Nothing less from my brilliant mind, my boy. Just you leave it to me."

"Next!" Said the Mayor. "Oh, how horrible our Christmas will be!"

"Thank you," Jack added once more with a smile, bowing to the doctor. Then he turned to the mayor and, with a grin, corrected him, "And no, no, no, Mayor-how _jolly_ our Christmas will be!"

"Oh...right, how jolly..." The Mayor's face was rotated to pervay his negative mood. Suddenly he had items pelted at him, distracting him from his task. He growled, and then his eyes fell to the floor, and he looked horrified. "What are _you_ doing here?"

The "you" he loudly referred to were actually three small kids, each wearing a mask and costume. One was a devil, the other a witch, and the last a skeleton.

"Jack sent for us!"

"Specifically!"

"By name!"

"Lock!"

"Shock!"

"Barrel!"

Now the three kids removed their masks as they introduced themselves with a flourish!

The Mayor cringed! "Jack! It's Oogie's boys!"

However, Jack just smiled and looked down at the three children. "Ah yes, Halloween's finest trick-or treaters! Thank you for coming, I have a special task for you."

The witch, Shock, giggled as she grinned at him with a sneer. "And we thought you didn't like us, Jack. Looks like you went soft after all!" She nudged her cohorts, winking at them..

Jack blinked at her strange little observation but then just smiled softly down at the children again. "What do you mean, my dear?" he asked with genuine curiosity.

"Who else? That Sally girl you're talking about, all about making her yours!" Said the devil, Lock, answering for her.

"He was talking to ME, dummy!" Shock chidded.

Barrel just smiled, licking his lollipop that he seemed to produce from out of nowhere.

Jack blinked and started a little, nearly tripping back against the podium behind him. "I-I, er...w-well, that's...er...I-I didn't mean to, um..." He cleared his throat and tugged at his collar a little nervously.

"Why Jack my boy, I didn't know you'd decided to take a wife!" The Mayor suddenly said happily. "That's splendid!"

A few snickers arose from some others who were present inside, along with some whispers. None of which were louder than the three kids.

"W-W-W-W-Wife?" Jack instantly spluttered out, actually falling against the podium at this point and having to hold himself up to keep from falling. "I-I...I..." 'Oh...Oh...wh-where's Sally...? What if she h-hears?' He gulped. "I-I didn't, um...There's...y-you see...sh-she's not my w-wife yet!" His eye sockets flew open again. "I-I-I mean, she's not my wife period! Y-Yes, that's it..." He managed to stand up again, though he had to look down in a touch of humiliation.

Meanwhile, the witches, obviously catching wind of this news about 'Jack' and a 'wife' were instantly on the alert and suddenly crying in a huddled heap, along with the sea monster girl. "Ohhh but Jack! You can't abandon us!"

"We love you!"

"You're the scariest man in town!"

"Why didn't you want to marry one of us!"

Jack's jaw utterly fell open and he felt any color that might have been in his bones drain entirely. He absolutely couldn't believe this spectacle...and for the first time ever he sort of hoped Sally was up in her room tower...If she heard all of this what would she think of him?

"Splendid! Oh dear, what I am saying?" The Mayor's face rotated again. "Jack! You still have them to deal with!" He hissed.

"Yeah, so if we're done gossiping, tell us what you want from us, Jack. We're listening!" Shock sneered.

Jack let out the deepest sigh he ever had and took a moment to just rub his temples. Then he opened his eye sockets and looked to the children firmly as he stated, "Children, you are to go get Sandy Claws and bring him here. He lives behind the door shaped like this." Jack pulled a Christmas tree shaped cookie out of his pocket and handed it to the kids. "Please see that he's comfortable...and whatever you do..." Jack leaned down toward the children, scowling seriously, "Leave that no account Oogie Boogie OUT of this! Do I make myself clear?"

"Whatever you say, Jack." Barrel smiled.

"Of course Jack." Shock winked and sneered.

"Wouldn't dream of it, Jack!" Lock chimed in as well.

Unseen to Jack, the three kids were crossing their fingers behind their backs as they said this.

Jack let out a breath and softened his expression. "Good..." He saw the three kids about to scamper off but detained them for a moment longer, "Oh and...children?"

"What is it, Jack?" Shock turned around in annoyance, but still kept her sneery smile.

"I...am not...married..." Jack said very clearly and very firmly and with a very deep scowl. "And I don't want to wake up tomorrow morning with a bunch of rumors spread around the whole town that I am courtesy of you three...And no pranks, no songs, no jokes about this matter...or else."

"And why would we do that?" Lock looked mockingly offended. "We got waaaaaay better things to do!"

"Relax Jack, like we care who you're married or not married to!" Shock rolled her eyes and smirked.

"Heh heh, Sally is real pretty, though. Prettiest girl in town! No wonder you like her." Barrel snickered.

The three then scampered away, laughing.

Jack let out a frustrated sigh and rolled his eyes. Then he just stood up again and closed his eye sockets and brought a hand to his forehead for a moment. "Next!" he called out to the line of citizens. And then he added, not looking up, "And just so we're all clear, that goes for everyone-I am NOT married. Th-Thank you..." He supposed the 'thank you' sounded Silly but he hadn't known what else to say, and it didn't help that a touch of embarrassment was coming over him again.

"...Um, Jack?" Came Sally's soft, timid voice.

Jack gasped and his eye sockets popped open and flew upward only to settle on...Sally. He could have just died...and it didn't help that the witches and sea monster girl were still slightly in mourning for him off in the corner. "S-S-Sally!" His voice cracked considerably and he quickly cleared his throat, doing his best to remedy it. "I-I mean...h-hi, Sally...heh..." He gave her a tiny, bashful, sheepish wave, with a little embarrassed smile.

"Hello..." Sally brought her hands behind her back and looked away shyly. "I was surprised you needed me for something, Jack...but um, actually...there's something else I need to tell you, Jack."

A touch of panic came over Jack. "I-Is it about the rumors? Oh Sally, I'm so sorry, I...I-I-I don't know if you h-heard but earlier I...I-I was sort of caught up in things and I opened my window and I meant to make an announcement about Christmas, I really did, but suddenly I was half through with an announcement about you and I before I realized what I was saying and stopped myself! I'm so sorry, Sally, I didn't mean for people to find out like that! And please, please don't listen what anyone says about us being secretly m-married-th-that was just a mistake that got out of hand, heh...But I've done my best to fix it, I promise. Oh please don't be too terribly upset, Sally!" And now Jack took up one of her hands in both of his, looking right into her eyes sincerely.

"...What? Rumours? ...Oh..." Sally blinked, having been too wrapped up in her worry to even hear what the gossip was about, if any had been within earshot of her. She felt embarrassed, given that she always had to keep a low profile, and being so shy...but she couldn't worry about that now. "It's all right, Jack...don't worry about it." She assured with a small smile. "We all make mistakes and slip-ups. But Jack, that's not what I meant."

Jack smiled for a moment at her understanding reaction, but then frowned again at her insisting there was something else on her mind. "What is it, Sally. Are...Are things still alright with you and the doctor?"

Sally shook her head. "Things are fine." She said dismissively. "Jack, it's about your Christmas." Her voice was lowered to a whisper by now.

The smile instantly returned to Jack's face. "Oh, Christmas...! Well, why didn't you say so! After all, there's no one I'd like to talk about Christmas with more than you." His eye sockets went a little half lidded. "I have the perfect task for you, Sally...if you'll be willing to help me out, of course..." He moved closer to her, still cradling her hand in his own.

Sally opened her mouth to protest, and just...well, she couldn't do it. He seemed so excited, so passionate about this.. Okay, she would hear him out, see what he had in mind for her, and try to break it to him gently. "Okay, but I have to tell you something about all of this, Jack...it's very important."

Jack nodded. "Of course, and I'll listen to anything you have to say...I trust you more than anyone else, my darling..." he added the last part very quietly so no one but the two of them might hear. Then he cleared his throat and spoke up again, gently releasing her hand to grab a small portrait from the podium which he showed to her. "This is my Sandy Claws outfit...I want you to make it for me!" Jack looked to her, practically beaming. His Sandy Claws outfit would be the most important part, and he knew she was the best little seamstress in the whole town...On top of which...the idea of wearing something on his first Christmas night that her loving hands had crafted sent shivers up and down Jack's spine. He waited for her reply to his request now, hoping she would say yes.

If she had a beating heart, she would probably feel it dropping to the floor. Jack didn't just ask her to improve a mere toy, he asked her for something very important. For any other reason, she would have gladly made it out of love for him. But this? She wanted to stand her ground and say no, to stick to keeping safe and avoiding any kind of impending disaster.

But she just could not say no. His beaming gaze was just intoxicating. Sally felt so weak. She loved him and would do anything to make him happy, and she especially wanted to contribute to something important to him...but this was just not right.

"Jack...I...I..." She hesitated. "It's a mistake, it's all going to be a disaster!"

"Oh but, Sally...how could it?" He smiled more and then moved closer to her. "It's a very basic pattern really-I-I know someone of your skills at this could probably use a bit more of a challenge but I'm sure you can do wonders with something as simple as this as well. You see the coat is red, and the trim is white..." He gestured to parts of the drawing as he spoke.

Now Sally felt as if she were about to sigh deeply, but she didn't. No, she had to be patient and handle this with tact, understanding, and care. That was who she was, and she knew better than to hurt his feelings, which was the last thing she wanted to do. "Jack, I'll do it, but...please, listen to me. You remember yesterday morning? With that flower that turned into a Christmas tree, and then suddenly burned? Since then the moment weighed on me, I see it happening every time I close my eyes, and I had a nightmare about it all the night before. It was a vision, a premonition...eluding to Christmas being a disaster! I...I don't want anything to happen to you, Jack...please understand what I'm trying to say."

Jack blinked, certainly not having expected all of this from her at all. The burning flower again? Hadn't they been over this already? "Sally..." Jack started patiently and sincerely, "It's alright...I...I appreciate and respect your opinion and feelings about all of this but please trust me-I can handle it. I know there are risks trying to do this-it's so new, so strange, so foreign...but I have to try, Sally. I have to try to bring that joy to everyone that Christmas brought to me...After all, it's...the second greatest joy I've ever known...next to...you, of course..." He looked at her a touch lovingly.

A distraught look came to her face, and then the portrait was gently placed into her hands, which she took. "I...I know...that is very true and believe me, I've considered it. I thought long and hard about this, Jack...I know it's not what you want to hear from me, and I wish I didn't have to say all of this...I just want you to be careful, and not make any rash decisions. Please?"

Jack looked down at her so lovingly... "Of course...Nothing rash, Sally...But I just...have to try...even if it doesn't work, I have to try...I can feel it in my bones...And I know you're worried, Sally, but I promise, promise, promise I'll be careful with my Christmas Eve ride...I do have you to make sure I come home to, after all..." He chuckled a tiny bit and winked at her.

Unable to do anything more, since he clearly was not listening to her, Sally only just nodded. "All right..." A small smile came to her face at his last remark though, it did make her feel a bit better. "I trust you, Jack." Yes, this did still feel wrong to her, and she was still worried and anxious, but deep down, there was a sliver of hope that maybe, just maybe, her premonition was wrong.

Jack let out a happy sigh, so very glad he seemed to have brought her some kind of relief from her worry. "Thank you, my Sally...And I really will be as safe as I can be. We're using a good, sturdy coffin for the sleigh, Dr. Finkelstein's designing the reindeer and I know he'll do an excellent job on them, I've studied everything I can about delivering presents, and of course I'll have your lovely suit to keep me warm. I'll be safe and then I'll come home and...a-and, well I know it'll be late that night but i-if Dr. Finkelstein says it's alright...perhaps we could...sit by the fire together a little after I'm done and...eat Christams cookies...and drink hot chocolate with those little marshmallow things...and...just talk a little...maybe..." He was all bashful and shy looking by now, digging one of his feet into the ground a little, his arms behind his back.

The worried side of her was melting away as her in-love side returned full force and she hugged the portrait against her chest a bit tightly, sighing a bit. "Oh, Jack...that would be wonderful... And um...maybe...even wrap ourselves in a warm blanket and we could..." She giggled a bit, unable to help herself. "Snuggle..." She dug her heel into the floor and looked away shyly.

Jack didn't understand how his spine hadn't cracked from the searing heat that had just passed through it. "O-O-Oh, I-I-I..." His smile was utterly goofy, his eye sockets entirely half lidded, his awareness of anyone seeing or overhearing any of this, zero. "S-S-Snuggling is...n-nice..." He lowered his voice to a very quiet whisper as he added, barely able to look at her, "...a-and k-kissing is too..."

"Especially when shared together..." Sally whispered back, a little lost in their sweet moment, forgetting about everything around them. "...I'll ask the doctor if I can stay out later that night..." She cooed, giggling a little.

"A-And I'll..." he leaned a little closer to her, "I'll...set up the couch...before I leave on my ride...and I do hope the doctor says yes, Sally...But even if he doesn't...well...we could always get together the next night...on Christmas Day...to snuggle...We could snuggle _all day_ that day if you'd like..." He reached out to twirl a strand of her yarn hair around one of his fingertips.

Unable to help it, Sally sighed dreamily, just positively beaming for the first time that day. "Oh Jack...there's nowhere I'd rather be than by your side in your arms..." She cooed sweetly, stepping a little closer.

On a compulsion he couldn't deny, Jack was already preparing to raise his arms and take her in them, gently pulling her in towards him, upon which he had decided to say something like "_Well then...what are you waiting for?_" And then she would swoon and coo his name and he would start to give her little kisses anywhere she wanted them, and...

"Ooooh, it's true! Look at it, it MUST be true! Jack, you got married right out from under our noses, didn't you?" Helgamine the witch suddenly announced with a loud blowing of her nose before bursting into sobs, upon which the other witch and the sea monster girl joined her!

"Oh Jack..." the Mayor's head had turned to his 'anxious' face, "I don't know if you should have eloped...The women seem awfully upset...And they are registered voters..." He looked around nervously but this his eyes went to Sally. "Oh no offense, of course, Sally...I think you're a lovely match for Jack. I'm just worried about this sudden turn of events being so...sudden!" He brought his hand to his mouth and bit his nails a little.

"What? Eloped?" Sally cried in surprise, everything melting away. "No! No! ...We didn't...! Mayor, Jack... I'm so sorry. I'd better go." She started to walk off, but her wrist was gently grabbed, holding her back.

"No, Sally, wait!" Jack couldn't help but cry out to her, worry and embarrassment utterly overtaking him! Having her stopped he first looked to everyone else for a moment. "We are NOT married! Everyone, please, calm down! We're just...i-involved...together...a-as more than friends..." He cleared his throat. "I'm courting her. We did NOT elope." He let out a breath and shook his head and then looked to Sally. "I'm sorry again, Sally...I...almost forgot we were around so many other people..." He looked down in a touch of shame. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable. A-Are we...still okay?" He looked to her hopefully.

Blinking, Sally took a breath and nodded with a little smile. "Of course we are, Jack... I-I'm not used to this kind of thing like you are...I'm sorry... But um...d-don't worry about it..."

Jack let out a small relieved sigh and squeezed her hand a little. "A-Alright then...I just wanted to make sure." He cleared his throat then and grinned a little more and added. "Oh and...before you go...I did have one other 'assignment' for you..."

"...What is it, Jack?" A worried look came to her face yet again, but she tried to mask it.

He stepped a little closer to her and replied in a suave and low voice, "I'd like you to be ready and waiting in all of your prettiness and perfection for me at the front door of your house in exactly two hours...So that when I come over to escort you out for our date tonight, we can get in every minute together that we possibly can...Do you accept your assignment, Miss Sally?" He smiled at her a little more.

For a moment, Sally was speechless and could not believe that he was still willing to make time for her, for their "date" as he called it... She beamed all the more and even swooned softly, nodding. "I...I...I do...I do accept it, Jack..."

"Splendid...Absolutely splendid..." Jack cooed back suavely. "Well, until then, my Sally..." and then, audience or none, he lifted her hand and gave the back of it a gentle kiss before releasing it and giving her a small wave. "Goodbye for now. I'll see you soon."

"Oh..." Sally swooned a bit, nearly dropping the frame, but holding on to it tightly. "Goodbye Jack...s-see you later..." She walked off with more of a swagger in her step, heading toward the door.

Jack just chuckled goofily at the sight of her walking away, his thoughts far more concerned with her than with Christmas at the moment.

"Waaah!" Fresh sobs emitted from the women off in the corner.

Jack just sighed, the smile never leaving his face. "Ladies...I appreciate your concern but...please stop crying...I still think you're all lovely, I just...like Sally...in a special way...But I assure you I would never run off and elope...after all, who better to decorate our wedding than the three spookiest female creatures in all the town?" Jack chuckled a little, shaking his head at the silly and somewhat embarrassing idea before turning back to his Christmas papers and affairs.

The witches and sea monster girl sniffled a few times but then started to smile and even giggle a little. "Oh Jack, you're such a charmer!" Upon which the ladies started chatting together all about how to make a Halloween wedding.

Oh yes, and the day went on...


	4. First Date

**NintendoGal55: Here it is, folks! :D Jack and Sally's first date! Despite all the planning and work going into Christmas...Jack of course makes sure to make time for his beloved Sally! ^w^**

**Azure129: :D DATE TIME! Wait until you see how cute things get : 3 I hope you all enjoy!**

* * *

><p>It was exactly two hours later right now...and Jack Skellington had spent the better part of the last hour making sure his suit was perfect, his bowtie was perfect, his shoes were perfect, even that his skull was a little polished...And he had also gone through the whole pumpkin patch picking a fresh bouquet of dried flowers...and then he had just spent several minutes talking to Zero as he tried to convince himself that this wasn't going to be some kind of disaster and that he could handle this...a whole romantic evening with her at his disposal...and then he had sent off to Dr. Finkelstein's house for his Sally. And now he was at the door. He straightened his bowtie, checked that his flower bouquet was still looking fine, and then he let out a breath and knocked at the door. '<em>It will be fine...Just calm down...It will be fine...<em>'

A moment passed, and rather than the usual reply of "The door is open!" from inside, there was instead something quite different. There was the sound of locks and latches being unlocked and undone, before the door was then pulled open.

"Jack Skellington, come on in, my boy!" Dr. Finkelstein called from inside, apparently downstairs for once. "You can let go now, Igor."

Jack blinked at the unusual reception and hesitantly stepped inside, clearing his throat a little. "Um...hello, Dr. Finkelstein. You're having a pleasant evening, I hope?" Jack did his best to smile as his sights finally turned to the old scientist.

"Why yes, you could say that." Dr. Finkelstein replied, wheeling toward him. He then looked up the ramp. "SALLY! Your...date is here! Don't keep him waiting! It's not polite, you know!"

An anxious and timid "Coming!" was heard from upstairs.

"Well my boy..." The doctor turned back to him. "I must say, I never expected in all my afterlife that the Pumpkin King of all in this town, would actually come here and court a creation of mine! Though I suppose it could have been a worse pick that you, my boy." He paused a moment, and studied him carefully. "Now then, you remember, have her back by no later than midnight. She needs her rest, you know."

Jack nodded very firmly. "O-Of course, no later, you have my word." He gave a small bow. "A-And I...well, I just...as I said, I couldn't help it...wanting to court her...She's...very special." He glanced down with a touch of shyness. "She's wonderful, actually...And I'm more grateful to you than I can say for creating her, doctor." Jack looked at him very sincerely.

A bit of a surprised look came to the scientist's face before he cleared his throat. "Um...right, yes... Now then my boy, where do you plan to take her? Be honest now, I only want to make sure to know where she may be."

"Oh!" Jack blinked several times and answered truthfully, "W-Well, to be honest, I...hadn't really picked a particular place. I just thought we'd go wherever it seemed best for us to go. Um...perhaps for a walk near the graveyard and pumpkin patch first...and then perhaps we'll head over to the town to look at the fountain at night in the moonlight with all of the new Christmas decorations on it, a-and then, if there's nothing else we'd like to see, I thought we might go back to my house...I...was going to make us tea and something to eat, and then I thought we could talk more about...our new courtship." He looked to the doctor unsurely, hoping all of that would meet with his approval.

"Mm-hmm..." The doctor pondered this for a moment. "Well, my boy, I suppose that will be all right."

There was a loud, echoing, clicking noise heard then, and it was then that they saw none other than Sally coming down the spiral ramp, actually very close to the bottom now.

She approached, slowly, and wore a new dress. Short sleeves, the bust was black, with an orange stitched waistline, almost like a very thin belt. It revealed a lot more of her shoulders, and had a round, modest neckline. The skirt of it was a patchwork skirt, stitched to the waistline. She wore her usual black and white striped socks, black short-heeled shoes, and actually had a black bow in the shape of a bat tied to her head.

Jack's eye sockets flew open wide and his jaw fell and he almost dropped his flower bouquet right to the ground. '_She...She dressed up...for me..._' It was such a fascinating concept to him...That not only had she cared about her appearance enough to dress up for him but that she had actually had any doubts that how she normally looked wasn't already overwhelmingly beautiful enough. "O-Oh...my..." was all that stuttered out of him at first.

Sally approached, shyly, and slowly, but with a smile. "...He...Hello...Jack..." She managed softly, bringing her arms behind her back.

Seeing how speechless he was, Dr. Finkelstein loudly cleared his throat to get his attention. "It's not polite to stare, my boy."

Jack blinked and instantly cleared his throat, snapping out of it. "Sorry! I...I...h-hello, Sally..." he said shyly, glancing down bashfully... Then he realized something again. "Oh! Um...these are for you!" He quickly held out the flowers to her, looking to her again. "A-And...you look beautiful, Sally..." He smiled softly.

"Oh!" Sally was utterly surprised, and gently took them, admiring them with wide eyes. "F-For me? Flowers? ...Oh..." She was so touched, so speechless...she had no idea what to make of this. In the best way possible! Beaming, she resisted the urge to practically attack him with a hug, deciding to save that for in private. "Awwww...thank you so much, Jack...no one's ever given me flowers before..."

"Really?" Jack swallowed...and then smiled warmly, his arms going behind his back. "Well...you deserve them, Sally...You deserve flowers all the time..."

"Oh..." Sally smiled shyly, and then turned around for a moment. "Doctor...will you please put these in my room...if it's not too much trouble?"

A light grumble escaped him, but he nodded and took them from her. "Yes yes, I'll do that. Now go, you have a lot to do. Midnight, Sally, don't you forget."

"Oh, I won't, Doctor. ...Thank you so much for this!" She actually gave him a hug and kissed his metallic head in a daughterly way before letting go, turning back to her date. "Um...shall we go...Jack?"

"Y-Yes...let's go..." Jack was feeling so very warm and happy inside already, all anxiety starting to wash away. He gently reached out and took her hand to lead her over to the door. "Goodbye, Dr. Finkelstein!" he called over to the old scientist, "Have a good evening and I'll have Sally back at midnight." Jack opened the front door and released Sally's hand for a moment to gently lean down and gesture forward. "Ladies first, Sally..." He smiled up at her.

Used to that little chivalry, Sally giggled and murmured a thank-you before stepping outside. To freedom! ...For the evening, at least.

'_Oh well, at least the doctor is letting Jack court me..._' Sally thought happily. She was so lost in thought, she didn't realized she had overstepped in a stumble and was then falling backward. "Oh!"

Jack, instantly recognizing her stumble, stood up and was behind her, and she fell backward into his arms. "Are you alright, Sally?" he asked sincerely, looking down at her with a worried frown as he held her.

"Y-Yes..." Sally managed a nod, feeling VERY silly. "I...wasn't watching where I was going..."

Jack smiled warmly down at her. "It's alright...People trip...I'm just happy I was here to catch you."

"Thank you, Jack..." She murmured gratefully, her eyelids lowering slightly.

Jack gulped...starting to tremble a little. "You're...welcome...Sally..." He sighed a little.

Giggling a bit, Sally managed to straighten herself and stand properly, regaining her balance. She brushed imaginary dust off her skirt, and then looked at him shyly, but as lovingly as can be. "...Jack...I..." She brought her arms around him in an embrace.

Jack took in a sharp, deep breath. "Y-Y-Yes...Sally?" he asked, his eye sockets half lidded...his arms slowly managing to come around her waist.

"I...um...well...wanted to greet you...w-without anyone watching..." Sally managed timidly, and then leaned up to kiss him sweetly, and pulled back, smiling shyly.

"Mmm..." A little pleasurable moan/sigh escaped Jack and his knees buckled a tiny bit. "I...th-thanks..." he replied sweetly and lovesickly... "I adore you..." he couldn't help but add.

"I adore you, too..." Sally said softly, and giggled, now bringing her hands to his shoulders. "And I...I... I'm glad we could do this, Jack."

Jack let out a happy sigh and then swiftly closed his eye sockets and moved in and placed a tender kiss upon her lips...Then he pulled back and opened his eye sockets again, smiling down at her. "I'm...glad we could do this as well, Sally." He chuckled a little.

"Ohh..." Sally utterly melted, a lovesick smile coming to her face as she tried to stay steady, their embrace pretty much all that kept her standing. "...Jack...I love you..." She cooed.

"I...love you too...Sally...I..." He was barely breathing anymore. "Oh Sally, how am I ever supposed to bring you back here at midnight...Now that I have you, I want to keep you...forever..." He reached up and gently pulled a few bony fingers through her soft yarn hair.

Blinking a few times, Sally smiled bashfully as she looked down a bit. "I asked myself the same thing just now...I'd go anywhere with you, Jack..."

Jack's smile grew. "I...And I would want you always by my side...anywhere..." He let out a small sigh. "But...But for now...since we only have a short time...will you at least accompany me to the pumpkin patch perhaps for a walk? I know it's not much but...it's a start."

"Not much? Jack...don't be silly. I'm more than happy to do anything with you, together..." Sally assured, beaming. "I'd love to go for a walk in the pumpkin patch."

"Oh...thank you...haunting vision of dark loveliness..." And then he hugged her close and snuggled her a little, and then took her hand, lacing their fingers, and proceeded to walk off with her into the evening air toward the pumpkin patch.

Some time passed as they walked along in contended silence. It wasn't awkward nor tense, just quiet. It was kind of nice, to be able to just walk together, silently enjoying each other's company, and just taking the time to listen to everything around them, smell, and see. Even if words weren't leaving their mouths, it didn't matter, because they were spending time with one another.

While the worry continued to eat her inside, Sally repressed any of "those" worries, because tonight, she wanted to focus on just the two of them together, and their growing courtship.

They passed by the band playing Christmas songs, which they had been appointed to do.

"Jack...are they playing those...Christmas songs you were talking about before?" Sally couldn't help but ask.

Jack nodded, coming out of some quiet personal reminisces about how magical this night was to turn to her with a smile. "Yes, I asked them to play them especially...Of course, in Christmas Town they sound much more, er...perky, I suppose...But the band is still doing a nice job nonetheless."

"Oooohh...I see...um...well, I like this one...it's very nice. Um...what is it? If you don't mind my asking, of course." Now she looked toward the band as they played, curious.

Jack chuckled. "It's 'Here Comes Sandy Claws'...It's a song about Sandy Claws getting ready to come and deliver presents to all the good little children on Christmas Eve night. Oh Sally, they have such sweet little songs, there-there's this one and then there's one about a reindeer with a glowing red nose just like Zero has, and one all about Christmas trees, and one about silver bells...They're all just so...pretty!" He chuckled a little, then glanced away with a touch of shyness. "I'm sorry,Sally, I probably seem so strange...I'm supposed to be the scary Pumpkin King and, not to say I don't adore horror and fear and frightfulness but...I'm utterly charmed by sweet and nice things too..." he gulped and added, "...which I guess sort of explains my deep love of you...You're like the best of both towns combined..." He looked to her, his eye sockets half lidded

"O-Oh..." Sally looked away shyly at that. "Jack, don't be silly. You're allowed to like whatever you want. Just because you're the Pumpkin King doesn't mean you can't appreciate other kinds of things that catch your interest... If that makes any sense..."

Jack let out a small, happy sigh. "Thank you...You're so good to me, Sally...I'm so happy with you..." He closed his eye sockets and leaned against her a little, snuggling into her.

Beaming, Sally snuggled against him a bit too. "I feel the exact same way, Jack... Being with you is by far...the greatest gift I could ever ask for."

Jack was touched so very deeply. "I'm honored...And you're my greatest gift too...I can't wait until all of this bustle about Christmas is done so I can finally have more of an opportunity to unwrap you a little..." Jack was still smiling and snuggling her for about a second longer...and then his eye sockets popped wide opened and he straightened up and cleared his throat and instantly stammered in explanation and clarification, "I-I-I-I mean, y-y-you know...unwrap a-as in spend more time figuring you and figuring us out a-and just trying to explore our unexpected new love!" He cleared his throat and looked away with a touch of distress as the pumpkin patch came within sight. 'That's it-I'm never opening my mouth again...Ever...' He even cringed a tiny bit.

Sally giggled, holding her free hand to her mouth. She never would've thought anyone could be as bashful like this! "Jack, you're so cute. ...Um...but what else could you possibly mean by that? I'm afraid I don't follow."

Jack blinked and then turned to look at her in utter curiosity. "I...you...don't?"

"No, I don't." Sally shook her head. "What in the world could it be if it has you so...flustered?" She looked at him with curious eyes and a concerned pout.

Jack gulped a little, still a touch confused. "I..." Then it hit him. 'She's...She looks...my age but...she's only been around...barely a year, actually...and a very sheltered year it's been...' Jack considered and then reached up with his free hand to rub the back of his neck as he replied. "I...the word 'unwrap'...can...suggest...something...intimate...Um...th-think of it as sort of like if you were to take off my jacket for me." He did his best to smle, grateful for the innocent example. "And I-I'm sorry, Sally, I just got flustered because I...I didn't mean it in that way really...and I didn't want you to think I was making some kind of...forward joke about you and I together. I really do just want to figure you out, my dearest Sally...I feel like I could spend days...years...maybe centuries...just trying to explore every part of who you really are..." He smiled warmly down at her.

"Oh...I...I...understand that, Jack..." Sally said sweetly, snuggling more into him and looking up at him. "I want to figure you out too, figure...um...u-us out...and everything..." She leaned up and kissed his cheek. Then she looked confused again. "But what could be so forward and intimate about taking off your jacket?"

Jack gave another tiny gulp. "I...well...you would be taking a piece of clothing off of me..so there would be less clothing between us...so if we held each other...we would be much closer...and we could be...more intimate." He glanced at her hesitantly, hoping he had put that alright and not offensively or anything.

Now Sally tilted her head, still very puzzled. "I've only ever had just a dress on and we've...h-held each other... Jack, I'm afraid I still don't follow."

Jack let out a deep sigh and stopped their walking for a moment. Then he turned to Sally and placed both of his hands on her shoulders and looked down into her eyes. "Sally, I...A-Alright...please listen to me very carefully...because I just...want to try and explain something to you a little...o-on the very off chance that you're ever with...s-someone else besides me...because I would never take advantage of your newness to this world, my darling, you have my word." He tried not to focus too much on the cringe the idea of her loving another man sent through him and just went on with what he had to say. "You are...only a year old, technically...but you're also a very pretty woman...and not just pretty but...a-attractive...especially your body...and especially from a man's perspective. And...I-I suppose it follows that the more men are attracted to your body...the more of it they would like to see...But Sally..." his tone took on something a bit more serious, "...you...i-it's your body to do with as you please, of course, but...please always keep in mind that someone else's attraction to you is never as important as whether or not they really love you...and also that...if a man can't appreciate your natural modesty and soft loveliness...pardon my saying so but I don't think he's good enough for you, Sally. B-But, overall, the point is that...things...change between two people and how they look at one another when they fall in love...but you have my word that I will never take advantage of you in any way just because of that...and that all I want is for you to be your most comfortable and your most happy...alright?"

Unfortunately, it left her even more confused, since it didn't quite answer her initial questions. But, none the less, Sally did feel very touched and so comforted by his words. She didn't know exactly what he was entailing completely, but could see, kind of, where he was coming from. Loving someone for more than just superficial reasons... And that he'd never take advantage of her... She didn't know what that meant exactly, but could see it wasn't anything good. It probably entailed taking someone for granted and then treating them like some kind of trophy and slave to your wills.

Unable to help herself, Sally threw her arms around his neck and engaged them into a loving and grateful kiss. She had so much to say, in such thanks and love, but settled on showing how she felt for a moment...

"Mmm?" Jack moaned in surprise, almost reeling back a little at her sudden embrace and kiss. And what did this mean anyway? Was she that happy that he wouldn't take advantage of her? Or was this some kind of...signal to him that...she understood his meaning and wasn't entirely opposed to exploring it a little one of these days...? He didn't know what to think and so for now just settled in relaxing a little and bringing his hands up to her shoulders and kissing her back tenderly, at least grateful that she didn't seem angry with him about his verbal slip from before or about his admission that he had started to think about her a little 'differently' than before during their friendship.

Holding it for some time, she pulled back, and looked quite lovesick for a few moments before gathering her bearings. "Jack...I...I just want to say how sweet of you it was...to say you'd never take advantage of me. ...I...I have to foolishly admit that I do not know what you mean by that entirely...but, I have a feeling it's...well, probably something that goes against your character or even any good man, isn't it? And...I'm so...so flattered you'd say that, that you would want me to be so comfortable and happy with you...because...I am, I truly am..." She kissed his cheek, and then his other, and then the corner of his mouth. "I love you... I have f-for quite some time. ...And to be with you is a dream come true for me. I know it may be soon to say to say this, but I can't...see myself with another like this. Um...so, you won't have to think abotu that, okay? Because I want this to last. I don't even want to think about..." Her voice trailed off. "Anyway...I-I hope I'm making sense. ...And Jack...I still don't quite follow what you're trying to tell me about...my body and intimacy... But um...whatever it may be...I'm sure it would be wonderful to share together...would it?"

Jack was utterly overwhelmed...She..only wanted to be with him...forever...She didn't even want to think about being with another man...She thought he was a good man with a good character...And she thought it would be wonderful for them to share...to...to share...He honestly couldn't even bear to finish the thought...It just felt too...unimaginably blissful...to let fully into his mind. "Y-You...I...I..." Jack felt so...much inside of him for a moment that he almost felt like he could have...cried, really, "Sally...you love me like that...forever...only...me...? I...I..." he swallowed, then found the courage to add, "I've never felt about another woman the way I feel about you...and...if I have any say in the matter...I'd rather feel this way about...only you...forever...too...And..." his voice lowered to a whisper. "I...do love to share with you, my Sally...all the wonderful things in the world...one day...maybe..." his voice was almost inaudible as he finished, "...hopefully..."

A soft, warm giggle escaped her as she nuzzled their cheeks affectionately, bringing her arms more around him as she gently pressed closer. "Yes. I want to commit myself to you fully... You may be...the first I've ever loved, but I know how I feel...and I will promise you my complete faithfulness and love to you. If you'll have me..." She kissed his cheek. "Jack? Won't you tell me what you were implying earlier? Please? You keep it so mysterious to a point...is it really that serious?"

Jack both melted and locked up a little inside. He didn't want to lie to her...but he didn't want to overwhelm her on their first night. "I..." he whispered slowly, "If I...tell you...may I skip the details? A-After all, even I'm not clear on all of the details..." And then he added lovingly though still quietly, "And...I'll have you...forever...Sally."

"I'll have you, too...now and forever..." Sally cooed, and kissed his cheek again. "And um...skipping details?" She was puzzled. "Oh dear...well...if you want to tell me...whatever this is..."

Jack let out a tiny bit of a breath again, and then put his arms around her tenderly as he answered her question. "When two people love each other very much...for a very long time...usually they get married, like everyone was joking about earlier with us...but also they go off...and get very close...and hold each other...and touch each other...and see parts of each other that no one else sees...all as part of expressing their love. It's very private...and, I've heard, very...special...and beautiful...and wonderful...just like you are, my Sally. And whoever shares something like that with you will truly be the luckiest man in the whole wide world." He managed to smile at her, despite all of the awkwardness and his embarrassment...and surprisingly he felt more at peace than ashamed or nervous. It was nice...very nice.

The explanation was vague, obviously because of the lack of any deeper details (whatever they may have been), but she was starting to get the gist of what it was all about. Being intimate, close together, often took place after a couple was married... Whatever it was, it had be big and serious if it made him THIS flustered and vague about the details. But Sally processed what he said, understanding it as much as she could. Yes, she was still curious and wanted to know what it ALL entailed, but she wasn't about to pry any further.

"I...I see...thank you for explaining it to me." She said finally, smiling. "But um...there is one thing that bothers me... You said whoever shares that with me, whatever it may be, would be lucky?" She shook her head then. "I think...I'd prefer

to one day...share that with...you."

Uh-oh. Maybe that wasn't the best thing to say. Too bold? Too much? And even just too forceful? It probably made her sound silly.

Jack's eye sockets flew open to the point of cracking his skull and he stepped back from her, unable to help it. "S-Sally...you..." he barely knew what to... "I...think you should...get to know me...g-get to know a-anybody...a little better...before you...want to...w-with them...o-or me...just to be certain that they're the one you want...or rather that I'm the one you want...certain that you love me...every part of me...Do you understand?" He looked at her very carefully and very deliberately, hoping he hd chosen his words well enough.

"No no! I didn't mean...I meant...um..." An awkward silence befell them as she pulled away, looking weirded out and ashamed. She had no idea what to say now, and felt all the more awkward and anxious. '_Me and my big mouth-AGAIN..._'

"Sally..." She looked so...horribly sad all of a sudden...He had to make this better: he was the one who had started this in the first place after all with that idiotic 'unwrap' comment accidentally flying out of his mouth before. He moved back toward her again and looked sincerely down at her. "Sally...please don't feel bad or sad...If anything I'm the one who ought to feel horrible-I started this whole conversation with that...insensitive slip of the tongue of mine before...It was accidental but it was still inexcusable and I'm truly sorry. But, I...Sally, I...don't mean to...push you away right now or be vague...I just don't want to overwhelm you and I just want you to be aware that...these are rather large issues you're bringing up and wanting answers about, and I...I don't have all of the answers...on top of which I just...I just don't think I can give them to you plainly and still be any kind of a gentleman at the same time...so I would prefer not to. But that doesn't mean that I don't appreciate you wanting me and only me, Sally...or that I don't want...you and...only you too...And I'm sorry if I made you feel like either one of those two things wasn't the case...alright?" He looked to her hesitantly as he awaited her reply.

An embarrassed look came to her face yet again, and Sally shook her head. "No...it's not your fault. It's just me being so curious and not willing to sit on vague answers. I'm sorry. I was being a brat, and then just kind of started saying things I should've just kept to myself, and I put you in a very difficult position, it was unfair of me. I'm so sorry."

Jack blinked, not having expected a further apology from her. "Sally, Sally," he put his hands onto her shoulders, "You musn't ever be sorry for being curious and having questions-that's part of what I love about you. You're so clever and inquisitive and adventurous. I never want you to feel bad about being that way or want to change it. Now, listen to me. You have every right to wonder about...how things might change...between us..or any couple...now that we're together. And if you're ever truly unsure about something, of course I want to know. I'm just...shy about this, Sally...and I can't help it. But I told you everything I could bring myself to tell you, and especially only on our first date, and I only hope that it was enough...I'm sorry, Sally, I'm sorry..." He frowned so deeply, feeling like he had messed up their date so horribly and in such a short amount of time.

Her eyes went wide, and then instantly, she brought her arms around him and nuzzled into his neck, the tips of the flared wings of her bow tickling his skull a bit. "Don't be sorry. ...I love you...it would take a lot more than that for me to be angry at you. ...I...I'm very new to a lot of things, especially courting, and I...didn't quite take into account how much you would feel in certain areas...don't worry, we'll drop it for now...and let things evolve naturally..."

Jack straightened and trembled a little bit at her sudden hug...but then as she spoke to him he relaxed and calmed...and now that she was done he just nodded a little. "A-Alright..." he said back quietly, "We'll...we'll save it for later...I...think it might be easier for us to talk about later, anyway. And I love you too, Sally...And I...this is our first date...I'd like to just be slow and gentle together...Is that alright, dearest darling Sally?" He managed a small, soft smile down at her.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Sally tilted her head lightly, her lips curving into a smile.

Jack melted a little more and smiled more to go right along with it. "O-Oh...well...o-okay then..." His eye sockets were half lidded. "You have...such a pretty smile..." It left him in a little sigh without him even thinking about it.

"Oh..." A giggle escaped Sally and she looked down shyly, her stitched smile growing. "You think so?"

A low little chuckle escaped Jack and he gave a few, goofy nods. "Oh...yes... It's frightful and yet...beautiful...and especially when the moonlight catches upon your stitches..."

Sally blushed, giggling as she looked back up at him. "You really are such a charmer, Jack...I...and um...if I may...I love your skeleton grin..." She smiled more, tracing his mouth with her finger, very gently.

Jack instantly straightened up and his eye sockets went wide and his jaw trembled a little, his breaths becoming shallow. "I...I-I..." her soft cloth little finger touching his mouth was just... "You...do?" was all he managed to sort of squeak out in surprise.

"Yes..." Sally lowered her finger, and then brought her hands to his shoulders, then shyly kissed his lips, sweetly, and pulled back. "I do."

"Mmm-" sort of squeaked out of Jack as he felt his knees starting to buckle, "S-Sally...I...how do you...do that?" he barely managed to whisper out to her.

"Do what, Jack?" Sally blinked, looking at him in genuine curiosity.

"How do you...make me just...I don't even...How do you always know what to do to make me feel so...so...happy...inside?" he asked blissfully.

"Oh...well...I don't know...I can't help how you feel...I...I just...do what feels right in expressing...h-how much I...love you..." Sally managed, and nuzzled her head into his neck again, a dreamy sigh escaping her lips. "I'm glad it makes you feel happy, Jack..."

Jack let out a dreamy sigh and brought his arms around her. "I just...hope I make you as happy, my Sally..." He nuzzled his chin on top of her head.

Now her embrace tightened a bit. "Jack...you truly do...you make me happier than I've ever felt..."

Jack was utterly touched in such a deep way. "If...that's the case...then I believe I'm now happier than I've ever been...Your happiness is my happiness, Sally..." He gently brushed his hand through her hair.

A little coo of appreciation came from Sally at his gesture, she loved when he tousled her hair... She looked up at him then, positively beaming, and just feeling so touched. "It's true, Jack... Ever since you've been my friend, and now...m-more than my friend...you've made me so happy. And...I'm glad it's made you, happy too. Your happiness is my happiness, too... And I'll continue to do all I can to make this work, and make us both happy for as long as we're together."

"As will I...most darling Sally...As will I..." Jack replied, gazing down at her with warmth and love. He just looked at her...all of her smiling, beaming, loving perfection... Then he swallowed...and asked shyly, hoping this wouldn't lead to anything upsetting like before. "...Sally?"

"Yes?" She looked at him with curiosity, her gaze soft.

Jack swallowed, then asked with a small smile, "...If...you really are curious about...love...There...is one thing at least that I...would be more than happy to answer any detail about for you..."

The neutrality melted away into pure curiosity. "...There is? Oh, well...what is it, Jack?" She gave a smile.

Jack gulped, and then replied shyly... "Marriage...I'd be...more than happy to...tell you anything you would like to know about that..."

Sally blinked, and then she beamed. "Really, Jack? I...I've read in some stories about...well...marriage, but I know very little about it. All I know is that it is a way of two people forever becoming united. ...Um...I'd love to know more about it.."

Jack's eye sockets all but beamed. "O-Oh...well then...Walk with me, my dearest Sally, and...I will tell you all I know..." He took her hand and raised it and kissed it and then gently lead her off toward the pumpkin patch and through its opening gate so that they could stroll through its paths as they conversed. "So, all that you know is that it's about two people forever being united?"

"Yes, that is all I know..." Sally looked down at the ground to make sure she wasn't going to step into any vines or thorns and trip. "Um...I've meant to ask you before...well, before all of this. You know, out of...curiosity...and probably to daydream about..." She admitted, sheepish. "But it never came up, and when I thought to do so, I was afraid it would be an obvious...well, giveaway of my feelings."

Jack smiled warmly at her. "Oh, my Sally...I adore your feelings...and even though you must have been afraid of letting me know them, I'm so very happy that you finally did." He placed a gentle kiss on her cheek and then pulled back and turned forward, carefully leading her alongside him through the small paths between the large pumpking and jack-o-lanterns here. "Now...as for marriage...well, yes, you're correct...It involves one person and another person uniting. You see...first two people...find feelings for one another...of love..." he smiled a little more, "...sort of like you and I have done, I suppose..." He squeezed her hand a bit.

"I suppose that goes without saying." Sally giggled, smiling and squeezing his hand right back. "Okay, so there's that...what else?"

Jack chuckled a little. "Well, then..." he swung their hands a tiny bit, "After two people realize they may love one another...they usually court one another...much as I have chose to court you, my dearest, dearest...friend..." He glanced to her bashfully.

"Oooh..." Sally giggled and swung their hands along too. She stepped over a small pumpkin she almost didn't see, avoiding stepping on it. "Then, I suppose marriage comes much later on in the...um...process, for lack of a term, when the couple feels...well, that they want no one else but each other?"

Smiling all the more, Jack nodded. "Yes. Actually...it's when they decide they want no one else but each other...but also when they feel...ready to handle...all of the commitment and all of the responsibilities and all of the...depth...emotional and otherwise...that marriage entails. It is...something sacred, Sally. It is a promise to love another person and only that other person fully, faithfully and eternally..."

"Ooohh... I see, that's what I was getting at, it makes sense.. So what exactly-oh!" Sally tripped over a vine, nearly falling over.

"Oh!" Jack reached out and instantly caught her up in his arms, pulling her close. "Are you alright, Sally?" He looked to her with a touch of concern.

"Yes, I'm fine...I tripped on a vine..." Sally giggled sheepishly. "Sometimes I'm quite imbalanced...and clumsy..."

Jack just smiled and shook his head a little. "No, not clumsy...You're just...Sally. And if we walk sometimes and I have to catch you, well then...I'm just glad I'm here to do it..." He gave her a small bow with his skull.

"Awww..." Sally giggled, managing to straighten herself a bit. "Thank you, Jack..."

"You're quite welcome, Sally..." he replied with a low and graceful bow to her. "Now..." he looked up toward her from his position still bowing, "Shall we continue our talk upon marriage?" He smiled up at her charmingly.

"Ooh, yes! Um...I was meaning to ask...um...the stories have referred to some kind of...sacred ritualistic festivity of sorts."

Jack did his best not to chuckle, not wanting to hurt her feelings or anything for her naivete. He straightened up and resumed walking with her. "Ah, you mean a wedding. Yes, well...after we...o-or any other couple...decides to marry...usually after a proposal in which I...or any man...o-or even you if you wanted to...might get down on one knee and take his love's hand and ask her to be his wife...well, then there's a period of engagement...during which we plan the wedding. And then the wedding comes. And the couple dress nicely...usually in a suit and a white dress...and then they stand before someone ordained to perform marriages...and they take vows to one another...and then they kiss...and then they are married...and husband and wife." He looked at her with his eye sockets unconsciously half lidded.

"Ohhh..." A sweet image entered her mind...the two of them standing in the Town Hall...she wearing a beautiful dress, and he in a dapper suit...as they stare at each other...holding hands, the townsfolk all cheering and crying...

"_Do you Sally, take Jack Skellington to be your husband?"_

_"I do...I do..._"

"I do...I do..." She murmured dreamily as she gazed in a daze at the sky.

"Hmm? Sally...What do you 'do', exactly? Why do you keep saying 'I do'?" Jack suddenly asked with a surprised gulp at the strange trance she seemed to be off in.

"Oh, nothing..." Sally snapped back to reality. "So...wed...ing? Oooh...I always thought it was a weeding."

Jack just smiled again and looked at her curiously and then he shook his head and chuckled a little. "No, no...definitely a 'wedding'...And after it was done...provided...hypothetically...it as between you and I...well, then...you would take my name, if you wanted, and be, um...Mrs. S-Sally Skellington...and also, I suppose...that would make you our new Pumpkin Queen, wouldn't it?" He chuckled a little to himself at the thought.

"Oh! It would?" Sally blinked, and should have realized that before. "Oh, of course. Of course anyone you marry would be...well, your Queen. And um...yes, I certainly would... Um...I don't even have a last name...it's just Sally." She admitted sheepishly.

"W-well then..." Jack couldn't help whispering with a small smile, "...all the more reason to look to providing you with one then, I suppose..." And then he leaned over and placed a gentle kiss atop her head.

"Oooh!" Sally giggled, and beamed. "Anything you say, Jack...Um...all right, so then, is there anything else about all of this...I should know?"

Jack chuckled a little. "Well...married people live together, so you would come live with me...They share a room...And sometimes they even...have families together..." He looked off to the side in a touch of bashfulness.

"Oooh, I did know that...kind of..." Sally admitted, and then looked thoughtful. "Families...I, oh! I did read of families. A mother, a father, child or children."

"Mmm hmm..." Jack nodded. "Exactly...Children. Do you like children, Sally?" Jack asked shyly.

"I've...never really been around children before." Sally admitted sheepishly. "I can't say for sure, but...I think I do...I certainly have no ill will toward them in the least...if I saw a child in trouble, I'd help them. So...I suppose you can say I do."

Jack smiled more. "You're so sweet...So naturally loving towards everyone. I'm happy you think you like children, Sally...I like children too. I think they're very sweet and kind. That's part of why I'm so excited about Christmas-the chance to deliver happiness to so many little children."

Looking away to hide the worried look on her face, Sally nodded. "Yes...I'm sure that's...a-a lovely idea to...make children happy... Um, so! Most married people have families, do they? I suppose one day I could be a homemaker...making clothes for them, blankets, pillowcases..."

"You'd make a lovely wife and mother. I can feel it in my bones, Sally. In fact, I...think that's part of why the doctor seems so strict about us dating. I know he can seem a little cold sometimes, Sally, but I think he values you very much...You take care of him so wonderfully and...I'm certain the idea of another man taking that away worries him very much. You're a security to him, Sally...Just like you would be a security to your husband...and your children..." Jack squeezed her hand a little.

"Oh...thank you..." Sally looked down at the ground shyly. "...You really think so, Jack? He has a bizarre way of showing it." She pouted a bit. "He acts as if he were a far too overprotective father who belittles and yells at me every chance he gets."

Jack let out a small sigh, a touch of a frown coming to his face. "Sally, I know that's...unfair of him. And I'm sorry you have to go through that. But...if you're good and understanding nature has patience to permit it...please keep in mind that perhaps he just...doesn't know any other way to express how much he cares about you. Dr. Finkelstein's always been fairly alone until you came along so...perhaps he needs more time to learn how to show love in a more...positive way."

Sally considered that. Yes, she knew the Doctor wasn't evil nor cruel, but he sure did have a misguided way of treating her. "...I suppose that's true. I'm trying to be as patient and kind as I can, but even my patience can wear thin. ...Mmm...not that it would do any good, of course." She chuckled mirthlessly. "I couldn't scare nor intimidate anyone to save my stuffing."

Jack blinked and turned to look at her. "Sally, I...that's..." a small, uncomfortable look came to his face and he let out a little sigh, "...well...yes, you're not...terribly 'ghastly' or anything but you still have something of the macabre in you...But regardless, I don't think the best way to go about things is scaring him into being nicer to you. That would be more like bullying...and you're too nice to be a bully. I think that...it's better to use your natural niceness and goodness around him...as an example to him of how you would like to be treated by him. And I think that...if you give him time...perhaps things could be better for you both. And even if things don't work out like that...well...as I said before..." he gave a small, shy swallow, "...when you marry you'll go off to live with your husband...forever."

"Oh! No no no, I didn't mean scaring him into being nice to me, oh no, I couldn't do that even if I was able to scare..." Sally assured, wiping her forehead. "I'm sorry, that did come out very wrong. But...you're right...I should just do my best to be nice, and patient, and let...well, things evolve, I suppose..." She smiled a bit more, and leaned a little closer. "And um...I do like that idea...marrying someone I love and living with them..."

Jack grinned and trembled a little inside. "Oh...I"m glad to hear that..." He let out a small sigh and then added, "And, you're so good, Sally...so good and kind and patient...If the doctor doesn't start adoring you before you know it, then nothing in all the world makes any sense..." He chuckled a little.

"I thought nothing did make sense in our dear town..." Sally giggled, snuggling into his side.

Jack melted even more. "N-No...n-nothing ever has...u-until I met you..." He was so blissfully caught up in her that, as they were stepping over the threshold of the gated area to conclude their walk through the pumpkin patch, Jack tripped on a vine and fell into a soft batch of vines and pumpkin leaves, and he took Sally right down with him, pretty much on top of him.

"Oh my!" Sally blinked, not at all realizing what happened. Then she realized she was on top of something...hard and yet... She looked down, realizing she had fallen on top of Jack. "Oh! Jack! I'm sorry!" She scrambled off in fear. "A-Are you...all right?"

Jack just remained very wide eyed for a moment, unbreathing, looking up at the midnight black sky. "I...um..." He swallowed, still in a bit of shock at his sudden fall...and at that single moment when his Sally had landed softly atop him.

"...Jack...?" Now Sally's face came into view as she knelt down next to him, looking utterly concerned. "Are you okay?"

He swallowed. "O-Oh...um...yes...I-I'm sorry I made you fall along with me, Sally..." He glanced away in a touch of embarrassment as he sat up on the ground, rubbing his skull a little.

"No...it's okay..." Sally assured, bringing a hand to his cheek. "Don't be sorry. It was an accident."

Jack melted a little at her touch, his eye sockets still wide. "I...Alright...Thank you, Sally." He looked into her eyes.

"You don't need to thank me, Jack...but you're welcome." Sally then took his hands and helped her beloved to his feet, though she didn't need to. She then groomed him a little, fixing his tie, brushing off his clothes, much like the other morning when she had fixed him up.

Her little touches sent sparks all over Jack's skeletal form. There was just something about her little adjustments to his person that...It felt almost like something a wife would do. It felt so nice to him. "Thank you for...fixing me up, Sally..." he managed shyly as she finished up.

"You're welcome..." Sally brushed off his shoulders, blowing any remaining particles off, and stood back. "It's my pleasure." She smiled.

Jack just smiled at her. "You really will make a lovely wife one day, won't you? So doting and caring and affectionate as you are..."

Sally blushed, looking down shyly as she brought her arms behind her back. "It's just what I do...but um...I'm glad I could possibly make a good wife one day...to someone I love..." She looked right at him as she said this, smiling meaningfully.

Jack's eye sockets went wide for a moment and he swallowed...but then he just smiled meaningfully back to her. "I'm glad too...It's something to look forward to...for whoever gets to have you as his wife..." He winked at her.

A part of her wanted to say she'd rather one day be his wife but decided not to go there for now. "Well...any woman you choose to be your wife will be a very lucky woman, as well."

Jack just chuckled a little. "Really? Well, thank you...But I...suppose a wife for me is a bit of a ways off...After all first I'd have to find a woman I love..." he reached out and took Sally's hand, "...and then I'd have to court her..." He raised her hand and gently kissed the back of it, not taking his eye sockets off of her eyes.

Sally giggled a bit, stepping closer to him. "And I would have to find a man I love...who would then court me..."

Jack lowered her hand from his lips. "And...where would you find a man like that, I wonder?" he asked, his grin picking up a little on one side.

"You tell me, Jack...and um...where would you find a woman like that?" Sally smiled all the more, not once tearing her eyes away from his.

"I tell you?" Jack raised part of his brow at her with a coy smirk. "Well, then, all I can say is...look no further..." He moved rather close to her now, something in his bones racing. "And as for me...don't worry, Sally...perhaps I already have found a woman like that...A woman upon whom I may have certain intentions..." He squeezed her hand, lacing his fingers with hers.

"Oh, well..." Sally stepped closer as well, smiling coyly. "If you have...won't you tell me?"

"I can describe her to you, if you'd like?" He smiled even more.

"Go ahead, Jack..." She stepped a little closer, squeezing his hand.

Jack swallowed, still smiling. "Well...she's tall...and soft...and hauntingly beautiful..." he started.

Now she blushed, giggling. "Go on..."

"She's got pale blue skin like the lightest shade of cloudy twilight...lips like dead red roses...and hair softer than the ghastly clouds that blow through the sky on Halloween nights..."

Sally would normally get modest and bashful, even probably deny most of that...but she just smiled and stepped closer to him, her smile picking up on one side. "She's a lucky lady, Jack..." She said, playing along some more.

"No, not lucky..." Jack shook his head a little, "Just...perfect...for me..." Suddenly one of his arms was around her waist, hugging her up close to him as he looked down on her, still with a grin. "Oh and did I mention she's utterly irresistible to me?" He did his best not to chuckle.

"Oh...well...no...I don't think so..." Sally brought her arms around him as well, fluttering her eyelashes unconsciously.

Jack swallowed. "Now, um...have you found this man you're looking for to marry yet, do you think?"

"Well, he did just say to look no further..." Sally cooed, smiling all the more. "Um...I can certainly..describe him, too...if you want."

Jack's smile grew to its utmost. "I-I-If you'd like..."

"...He's very tall...charming, kind, dapper...very much a gentleman...he's a skeleton..." Sally said softly. "He has no eyes, but his eye sockets can never fail to express his emotions very well."

Jack got utterly bashful looking. "O-Oh, I...I see...He sounds quite nice..."

"He's...well, the ruler of our town..." For a moment she couldn't help but recall his lament, and that was when a little sad look came to her face, but she shook it off. "And I admire his leadership very much."

Despite her compliments, Jack couldn't help but notice the touch of sadness that had come to her face for a moment. "Oh...well that's...nice as well. But...do you not like that...he's the leader, perhaps?" he asked all, what if she really was overwhelmed by him being the Pumpkin King and all of the attention it would bring to them as a couple. She was so shy and she'd already had a preview of it earlier today with that whole rumor about them having eloped. What if she didn't like him being the King because of that?

"No no! No, I...Actually, Jack...there is something I want to be honest with you about. ...Do you remember that Halloween night, you wandered off into the graveyard?" Sally pulled away, looking nervous and anxious.

Jack blinked. "Yes..." he said automatically, "The awards were going on but I...didn't want to go...They're always sort of the same each year anyway...Why?" He raised part of his brow at her.

"...I was in the graveyard that night, after the doctor caught me, and I ran away from him...by severing one of my arms." Now she turned away, hugging herself. "I hid there, stuffing myself with any fallen leaves I could find...And then you came into the graveyard alone. I hid behind a tombstone, and you didn't notice me at all..."

Jack's eye sockets went a bit wide for a moment. "And...h-how long exactly...did you stay there?" he asked with a touch of nervousness.

"...I heard your lament...bemoaning about your misery and how you were desiring more out of life...that there was possibly more that you can do than just...being the Pumpkin King. ...I hid the entire time, listening, and I..." She looked at him over her shoulder, and then down at the ground. "...I know how you feel. ...I wanted to see you, to talk to you...but you were already gone in to the Hinterlands when I finally showed myself and gathered my courage."

Jack just remained quite frozen for a moment, taking all of that it. It wasn't that he was angry, of course, it was just...awkward finding out that someone had overheard something so private. "I...didn't realize..." he merely mumbled at first. "My whole, erm...I see..." And then he blinked. "You know how I feel?"

"Of course. ...You desired more out of life, that there had to be something else out there. ...I always felt that way myself. I wanted more than just being a maid, and locked away in a lab all the time. And...well...I suppose so many years of doing the same thing can be a bore, couldn't it? ...I understand you were feeling that way." She hugged herself tighter, her back still to him as she shivered a bit from the cold air. "I know a lot of people would think it's...well, as you said...who would understand that the Pumpkin King of all people had problems? They think he can't possibly have any. ...I don't believe that."

She turned around, facing him completely, though still shivering. "You're still a person, and you do still have problems...you're no different from anybody, including me. You may be the ruler of our town...but even that doesn't completely overshadow the fact that even you have trouble in your life...it's normal. You remember...the first time we came to Spiral Hill? And you said it was a place of solace for you, that you came to escape for a while, to just relax. ...And I said that anyone could use time to relax, and someone in your position of such work...could use time to relax. I still mean that, and this is the same thing. If any other person were lamenting about being...well, unhappy with their lives and doing the same thing year after year...it wouldn't change the fact that it's still a problem one can have."

Jack just stood there, eye sockets wide, jaw slightly agape, absorbing all of that. And there really was so much... 'And...she...' And then Jack swallowed...and then he turned away from her, arms crossed over his chest...He felt as though he was going to cry but the idea of doing so in front of her felt so utterly foolish to him that he didn't want her to see it if it happened. "Thank you, Sally..." was all he managed to whisper very weakly and quietly.

"...Jack? ...Jack, are you all right?" Sally snapped out of her nervousness, and approached him, placing her hand on his shoulder. "You're welcome, but...what's wrong?"

"N-Nothing..." Jack said weakly, turning his face even more downward. "I just...Don't worry, please..."

Frowning slightly, Sally brought her arms around his torso from behind, laying her head against his back. "Jack...Answer me this. Where am I right now?"

Jack blinked in a touch of confusion...and froze up entirely at her embrace. "Y-You're...right behind me..." he threw out quietly with a small swallow.

"That's right." Sally squeezed gently. "And that's where I'll always be. No matter what...please tell me what's wrong, Jack...I'm here for you."

A breath left Jack...and he just...couldn't not tell her anymore. "Nothing's wrong..." he replied back very quietly, head still turned downward. "It's just that what you said before about...understanding and...it being okay for me to have problems too...it touched me so perfectly deeply that I feel like I'll cry...And I'll feel foolish as the Pumpkin King crying in front of you...So I just want to stay turned away from you until I feel better...That's all." He brought his hands up and held her hands against his chest.

"...Oh, Jack..." Sally whispered softly. "You can cry in front of me. It would never make me think any less of you, or see you as weak, ever. But I will not force you, okay? I love you, and I'm here for you, no matter what." She felt so touched, so moved that that this precious being right in front of her could feel moved to tears from how she felt about the matter, and how she just felt compassionate for him, truly. "I meant what I said...I just wanted you to know all of that. And thank you for understanding..."

"Oh Sally!" And suddenly Jack had turned around and wrapped his arms around her tightly and he was leaning up against her with his eye sockets closed tightly and a little tear or two dripping down from them. "Oh what did I do to deserve you? Oh Sally, be mine forever...my dearest, dearest friend forever...I need you! And I love you..."

Sally let out a soft sigh, and hugged him tightly in return, gently stroking his spine, and leaned up to kiss his tears away. "I love you too, Jack...I'll be yours forever, I promise..." She whispered softly. "...And you, you were nothing but yourself with me, and have done so much for others and for me... But more than that, I love you. I'm here for you...you're not alone."

So much comfort washed over Jack at her words and touches and kisses and everything about her. "N-No, I...I'm not alone anymore, am I?" he replied, feeling her take his tears away and make them stop in the first place with her kindness. "I have you...And I'll be happy being the Pumpkin King forever as long as you're with me, my darling." He never wanted to let her go. Not ever.

Smiling a little, feeling tears of her own pool in her eyes, Sally kissed his cheek, and gently nuzzled her own against him, before lowering her head to look up at him. A few tears of her own coursed down her face before she spoke. "You'll always have me, Jack. I want you to be happy more than anything in the world. You'll never be alone ever again...I promise..." Shyly, she tacked on, "My dearest, darling Jack..."

A tremor of happiness passed through him as, looking into her eyes, he smiled and replied, "And you shall never be alone ever again either. My dearest...darling...delightful Sally." he cooed gently to her.

"_And I will always love you..._" Sally sang out in a soft voice, clear as a bell, flowing around them. She then brought one hand to his cheek, caressing the smooth bone of his skull.

Jack trembled in bliss. "Oh Sally..._I shall...always love you too..._" he sang back to her in a deep, rich tone... He let out a soft sigh, his eye sockets tarting to close, "I love when you touch me, dearest Sally..." He placed his hand upon the back of her hand against his face.

A tremor coursed through her, and her smile grew all the more. It made her remember, two nights before, how she had ran her hands along his skull and that he liked it, a lot. It made sense, didn't it? Sally planted a kiss on his other cheek before whispering, "I do, too..."

Jack was melting into absolute putty. He could barely form words anymore. His spine slouched fully. "Sally...Sally..." He slipped his arms around her, hugging her in close to him.

For a moment, she just couldn't help but find this so interesting. Sally never did hold herself in high regard and saw herself as nothing special. That wasn't to say she willingly accepted her less-than desirable life because she felt she didn't deserve better, because she did have more self-worth than that, with only her fear of never getting out holding her back. But to think she could possibly have this much effect over someone, especially someone she loved, and the very ruler of their town, no less, was just something she would have normally thought was beyond what she'd ever come to do.

It was sweet. Sally liked to be able to make someone smile, to make them feel good, and just relax and enjoy themselves with her. To see Jack all but turn into putty and just melt, with pure happiness, because of her, was just something she never would've imagined. But she loved it, loved to make him happy and smile. She brought her hand down, raising both her arms and looping them gently around his shoulders and neck, smiling all the more lovingly.

"Jack..." She whispered, nuzzling their cheeks.

She had the most perfect voice, at least to Jack's hears...It cooed so delicately, so softly, so sweetly...And they way it said his name. "S-Sally..." he whispered back, nuzzling her back. "Sally...what...are we doing...?" He snuggled into her, pressing her hands gently against her back."I...how do we end up like this...like last night...and now...? I don't understand but I just can't...stop being near you...I just can't...and won't..." He placed a gentle, soft kiss or two on her cloth cheek.

"I don't even know, either..." Sally managed, giggling a bit. "I suppose the best way I can think of is...well, I think...love just...makes you want to be near that person as much as you can... And I...anytime I'm near you, I never want to stop being near you...even right now I feel that."

"Oh...Oh...sweetest darling...Let's...Let's never be apart then...Or at least let's pretend like we never have to be apart for the few sweet hours we have left together tonight..." He held her gently and kissed her pretty face, gently pulling the fingers of one of his hands through her hair.

"We can try that... I certainly tried to before." Sally whispered. "...Jack?"

"Yes...my prettiest pumpkin in the whole pumpkin patch?" he whispered with a low chuckle, resting his forehead against hers.

Sally smiled more, her eyelids lowering a bit. "Can we go to Spiral Hill, too?"

Jack's eye sockets opened and then he smiled at her. "Certainly...why not... Although, I...I did tell Dr. Finkelstein that we would probably just come here and then go for a walk through the town to see the Christmas decorations and then go back to my house, but...I suppose a little secret side trip won't hurt." He took her hand and pulled her up. "Come along, then, my darling-to spiral hill it is." He began to swiftly lead her away.

"I hardly think he'd notice..." Sally giggled, beaming happily as she followed alongside him. "Even for just a couple of minutes...it's no trouble..." She tacked on shyly.

Into the night, off they went!

* * *

><p>Halloween Town's sweetest couple had indeed proceeded to Spiral Hill following the pumpkin patch where they had sat together and observed the moon and stars and gotten to know each other a little more...and had even kissed a few more times...And then they had headed into town and to its center at the fountain to see all the Christmas decorations (which had delighted Jack...though Sally had had a hidden look of discomfort at the sight of most of them).<p>

Finally, following this little stroll, the two had headed back to Jack's house together, where Jack had prepared them a roaring fire to sit near and some tea and cakes to drink and eat, and they had sat close together and enjoyed these little diversions and just enjoyed each other's company...Now though the tea and cakes were all gone and they were just sitting together, resting together, looking to the fire with Jack's arm around Sally's waist and with Sally leaning up close against Jack's side.

"This...is a very nice ending to a date, Sally...I'm happy we could have this evening together." Jack smiled to himself and pulled her in a little closer.

"Me too, Jack...this is a lovely way to bring it to a close...after all we'd done." Sally murmured, unable to stop smiling. "I'm...happy you wanted to do this with me. I know how busy you must be with everything...but, I appreciate you making time to see me, I really do..."

Jack blinked and glanced to her curiously, still smiling. He started to stroke his fingers through her hair. "Sally...I'm never too busy for you. Christmas and Halloween are important of course but...you're a person...so you're most important of all. And besides...after a long day of holiday planning...what could I want more than a few hours with my dearest more-than-friend, hmm?" He smiled more at her.

Sally blinked, and looked up at him, blushing a bit. She snuggled more into him happily, feeling so...warm, happy, special. "Jack... Thank you...I'll always be happy to be there for you."

Jack let out a sigh and then gently placed his hand under her chin, tilting her head up so that he could look into her eyes with his half lidded eye sockets. "As I will be to be there for you..." he replied quietly...

A beaming, yet shy smile came to her face. "Oh...Jack...what have I done to deserve you...and your love..."

"You're just...so good for me...And I hope to prove myself worthy of you," he replied gallantly.

"Worthy of me? Jack...I'm just Sally..." Sally blushed more.

"Well, Sally...is a very worthwhile creature..." he replied suavely.

Sally shivered, utterly melting with how he was acting. "Jack..." She cooed in utter love and adoration.

His whole spine shivered at how she said his name. "Sally..." he whispered back, "Shh...let's not speak...let's just...just..." He paused and swallowed shyly, utterly overwhelmed with his love for her.

"O-" Was all she could get out, trying to agree with him, but a bony finger on her lip effectively silenced her. Sally smiled and obliged, not saying a word and just nuzzled against him.

"May I have this kiss, Sally?" Jack asked so very politely...and yet in a tone full of desire.

A giggle escaped Sally, amused by that adorable way of twisting the famous question in asking a lady to dance. "Yes, you may..." She managed, her tone full of love and desire as well.

Jack chuckled and then instantly his lips were gently upon hers, though he pulled her body close to his at least quite passionately...The two of them all wrapped up and cozy on this night together.

Utterly melting like a snowflake to a flame, Sally brought her arms around his shoulders for support, and lovingly reciprocated the kiss, feeling warmer and warmer already...

"Mmm..." She was so soft and warm and just...Jack breathing picked up through his nose and he started to get more carried away, almost leaning her back on the couch.

"_Mmmm..._" Now Sally lowered one arm to support herself along the couch a bit to keep from falling, though her body was just weakening! She applied a little more pressure, shuddering happily.

Jack was getting more and more carried away, feeling her shy shuddering and just being delighted by it and by her and their perfect kiss. He couldn't think anymore and he was slowly starting to come entirely on top of her, only knowing inside that he wanted her and only her now and forever...

"Arf! Arf!"

Jack, keeping up the kiss, cringed a little bit at Zero's barking and hoped the little dog would realize that he was 'busy' and would find a way to amuse himself until the end of his and Sally's date... '_The end of our...'_

"Arf! Arf, Arf!"

And now Zero was tugging at the tails of Jack's suit rather strongly and suddenly his eye sockets popped open and went to a large grandfather clock across from him against the wall. '_Ten minutes to midnight...TEN MINUTES TO MIDNIGHT?_' Jack instantly broke from the kiss. Panting and with wide eye sockets he looked down at Sally. "Sally! It's almost midnight! We have to get you home!" he announced in panic!

"What?" Sally blinked, also having lost track of the time. "Oh no! We should hurry, the Doctor will be furious! Oh...we can make it if we run!"

"_I'll_ run, and I'll hold you-it'll be quicker that way," Jack announced firmly and then instantly he was off of her and standing up and then his arms were under her back and knees and he had her lifted up and was swiftly carrying her through the house and down the stairs and out the gate!

"O-ahh!"

That was all Sally could possibly muster upon all of that. She hadn't even thought of that alternative! Soon he ran swiftly through the town, just about as fast as his long skinny limbs could carry them, as she held on tightly to him, afraid to fall. She trusted him immensely, but he hadn't held her like this before, it was almost overwhelming! And yet, it was so...caring, sweet...

'_He's right, it is quicker this way...I would have just slowed us down._' She thought sadly.

Jack held her as tightly and securely as possible as he ran swiftly, Dr. Finkelstein's house luckily coming in sight. Jack took a moment now to look down at Sally. "I-I...I'm sorry if I was a bit forward picking you up like this, Sally, but I...I simply couldn't bear it if I got you back home late and Dr. Finkelstein wouldn't let me court you anymore. But I promise next time I'll time things out better...I would have loved a long, leisurely walk back to your home, my dearest..." He smiled down at her.

"Oh...don't be sorry, Jack...I too wasn't paying attention to the time." Sally assured with a smile. "And I...well, no one ever held me like this before, it does feel strange, but...I trust you. ...Well, looks like the coach has turned back into a pumpkin."

Jack blinked at first at her little comment but then just smiled and chuckled. "Yes but...there's always our next date to look forward to, of course." He winked down at her as Jack ran up the drive toward the doctor's door.

"Oh, of course..." Sally giggled then, smiling more. She thought to ask when that would be, but decided against it, so as not to seem too clingy. "We made it in time...that's good."

Jack raced up to the front door and stopped just in front of it. He took a second to catch his breath and then gently placed Sally on the ground. "Yes, we made it...A-And, um...speaking of our next date...as long as the doctor can spare you...perhaps...the day after tomorrow...y-you know, after my Sandy Claws outfit fitting with you?" He looked to her hopefully.

"Sure...that would be nice..." Sally beamed, nodding. "I'll be...well, available..." She brought her arms behind her back shyly.

Jack smiled a little more. "Really? You mean...none of the many other gentleman callers you must have have you reserved for that time? Well how fortunate for me." He winked at her.

Sally laughed a bit. "Jack! Don't be silly...why would I want to see other men when I'm with you?"

Jack just chuckled. "Just making a point-I still don't see how every man in town doesn't knock at Dr. Finkelstein's door wanting to court you..." He took her hand in his.

"If they did, I would kindly turn them down." Sally giggle, smiling more. "Um...Jack? Will you...um...kiss me goodnight...? If that's...okay?"

Jack's grin hit its utmost width. "I...was hoping you'd ask..." And then instantly he had her in his arms and he had twirled her around and dipped her back, and then did as she had requested, kissing her passionately.

"Mmm!" Sally was wide-eyed and taken completely by surprise at this sudden passionate gesture! But oh, she just couldn't resist it for long and kissed him back, holding on to him tightly for support.

"Mm...Mmmm..." Jack angled his skull more, giving their final farewell kiss his all...never wanting it to stop...

Until the sound of a familiar gruff figure clearing his throat sort of broke into the moment. "Alright...I think that's enough for now..." came Dr. Finkelstein's voice in a level grumble. Apparently he had been waiting for Sally by the door, considering the time, and now he had chosen to open it upon witnessing the sight he was currently witnessing taking place on his stoop.

Sally actually pouted, sighing as they let go of each other after she was steadied up straight. "All right, Doctor..." She sighed a bit. She turned to Jack once more, smiling coyly. "Goodnight, Jack...thank you for tonight...it was wonderful."

Jack cleared his throat, looking rather flustered and embarrassed. "U-Um...you're welcome, Sally...Goodnight..." He gave her a gentlemanly bow. Then he turned to Dr. Finkelstein. "And goodnight to you too, Dr. Finkelstein. Thank you for letting me take Sally out this evening doctor. I appreciate it very much."

"Oh, well...think nothing of it, my boy. I guess it's...nice that she gets out of the house for a while." Dr. Finkelstein managed, and turned to Sally. "All right Sally, inside now. It's time for you to get to bed."

Sally nodded, casting one more loving smile at Jack. "I love you..." She whispered to him before heading inside.

Jack swallowed and his eye sockets went wide at her sweet final message. He just waved in the direction she had gone. "Er..." he glanced to the side and then addressed Dr. Finkelstein again, "Um...doctor, I...was wondering...I have a fitting with Sally for my Sandy Claws outfit the day after tomorrow...After we're done, might I take her out again?" He looked humbly to the doctor.

"Hmm...well she has been behaving, and I can see you two had a lovely time..." Dr. Finkelstein sighed then. "I'll be honest, my boy, I haven't seen her this happy even since her creation. ...I suppose it would be wrong of me to not let you see her." He admitted, though not looking at him as he did so, gruffly clearing his throat. "Of course only because I know she'd do far worse than slip Deadly Nightshade into my tea! ...Goodnight Jack my boy."

Hope filled Jack and he just couldn't help himself. With a big smile he took one of the doctor's hands in both of his own and shook it! "Oh thank you, Doctor! I promise you won't regret this! Thank you so much and have a horrifying evening!" Jack straightened up and chuckled, he felt so happy.

The scientist was wide-eyed behind his dark glasses and could only sit there stiff as a board at his enthusiastic gesture of thanks. "Erm...right, certainly." He cleared his throat. "You have a horrifying evening yourself, my boy." He then wheeled back into the house and shut the door.

Jack was just utterly joyous! He looked up to Sally's window with a smile and whispered sweetly, "Goodnight, dearest Sally...I love you too..." He blew her a kiss and then he was running off to his house, just bubbling with love and wonderful memories of his first official date with Sally. Sally, Christmas...how could his life get any better? Upon reaching home he changed into his familiar pajamas and nightcap and climbed into bed to have lovely nightmares about spending all of eternity scaring with Sally by his side...Pumpkin Queen to his Pumpkin King.

Little had Jack realized, Sally had been in her room when this happened, and was peering out her window, and watched him hurry home. She sighed dreamily, blowing a kiss into the night air before she changed out of her datewear, slipping her patchwork dress back on, and then crawling into her wrought-iron bed. She was going to remember this wonderful first date with her beloved for all time...and hoped that many more would come in the future.

Thoughts of her premonition then filled her mind, melting the smile off her face for a few moments. She sighed, rolling onto her back.

"Oh, I hope my premonition is wrong..." Was all she said before she soon drifted off to sleep.


	5. Departure

**Azure129: Aww, Sally's sad :( But she'll get through! Have faith!**

**NintendoGal55: This is pretty much the saddest chapter. :( So sad! **

**I wrote the rendition of **_**Sally's Song**_**, though there's not much difference. XD Just a few changes in the lyrics.**

* * *

><p>The days went by at a fast pace, and Christmas was fast approaching. It was on December 25th (Christmas Eve being the day before), and there was less than a month until then. Everyone in town was bustling and getting everything ready for it. Decorations, toys, clothes, you name it. It was quite busy, especially since the town had so little time to prepare for it! But, it went along as well as it could.<p>

So on one fine day, while Dr. Finkelstein noticed just how much happier Sally had been these days (despite the air of worry that overtook her sometimes, he noted), and today was a time he noticed it even more. This happened sometimes, but today really took the spider cake.

It started one afternoon, while he was in the lab doing an experiment as part of

making sure the skeletal reindeer would be able to fly once he brought life into them, and studied the plans that Igor had drawn up for him. It was lunchtime, and quite needless to say, he was hungry.

Dr. Finkelstein drew over some plans with a compass and pencil. "Hmm..." he grumbled, "I'll have to get the velocity just right...But for eight of them? This could take time..." The doctor let out a sigh and dropped his compass and pushed away his plans. He rubbed one of his temples. "Oooh...my head..." He opened up his cranium and scratched his brain a little. "Ahh..." He smiled in a touch of contentment...until his stomach suddenly grumbled quite audibly. Instantly the snarl was back in his countenance. "Grr...It must be lunchtime by now...Where is that wretched girl?" Despite his words, 'wretched girl' really was said with much less bitterness than usual...Sally really had been a good girl lately, after all-no more poisonings ever since that last one where she had first snuck out to see Jack. Still, though, the doctor wasn't too quick to forget her resistances to his will and he continued to use a commanding tone with her as usual, just to keep her in line and to keep her from getting any high-minded ideas that just because the 'Pumpkin King' was courting her that she might start deserving a royal treatment as well. "Sally!" he called out sharply toward the kitchen. "Where is my lunch? And there had better not be any 'frog's breath' in that soup!" he added authoritatively.

"Helloooo!" Sally breezed into the room, more like pranced into the room, sounding uncharacteristically cheerful. "I'm sorry I'm late, I had to double check to make sure everything was just right, Doctor!" She came over to the work table, placing a tray in front of him. She stood back, smiling at him.

On the tray was a bowl of snake, spider, and fungi soup with a deep dark broth, a cup of tea on a saucer, and some fresh pumpkin bread.

"Here you are, Doctor! Oh, isn't it lovely today? I hope you enjoy your lunch! And it's very much safe, I assure you." She took a spoon out of the pocket of her apron, showing it to him. "See? It's a regular spoon and not a clotted spoon!" She dipped it into the soup, tasting it. "Mmmm! See? Scrumptious!"

Dr. Finkelstein just...sat there...jaw slightly open. "I..." He eyed Sally...if this even was Sally...curiously...and then suspiciously. "Sally, what's going on?" he asked skeptically. "Is this a trick? Is the poison in the pumpkin bread this time?" His eyes narrowed at her a bit. "You didn't...do anything with Jack...did you?" he asked suspiciously.

"No! Absolutely not, Doctor. I swear." Sally said, still smiling. "I understand you're skeptical, and you have every right to be. For one thing, I threw away any Deadly Nightshade we had in the house. There has not been a trace of it in here for a while now." She smiled more. "And you've been very good to me, especially in letting Jack court me! I think it's only fair that you deserve something very good. I promise you none of this food is poisoned." She took a bite of bread, and sipped the tea to further prove it.

The doctor's scowl softened though he couldn't help but still be a little hesitant...After all, she was...well...what had come over her?

"Alright then, Sally..." he replied cautiously, and then his eyes turned to the food and he couldn't help but blink in surprise. It really did look... "...S-Scrumptious?" He slowly picked up his spoon, looked to the soup, looked back to Sally (who was still smiling cheerfully), and then looked back to the soup, reached his spoon into it, raised it up and then brought it to his lips and slurped it.

Dr. Finkelstein's eyes popped open wide. "Sally...this is...superb!" he couldn't help but exclaim!

"Oh, really? Splendid!" Sally exclaimed happily, clapping her hands a bit. "I'm so happy you like it! Oh! And I have some pumpkin cookies in the oven for dessert! Just let me know when you want them! Enjoy your lunch, Doctor!" She then practically danced out of the lab, humming to herself, happy as a clam.

Dr. Finkelstein's jaw dropped again as did the spoon from his hand into the soup. 'What in the world...?' He scratched his head a little...and then he sort of couldn't help but...smile...He shrugged and turned back to the lunch. "Good food...no poison...smiles and dancing...cookies..." Dr. Finkelstein picked up a piece of pumpkin bread and took a bite, and it was so delicious that he proceeded to gobble down the whole piece and move right on to the next one! "I am a genius for letting her be courted by Jack!" he exclaimed to himself proudly!

* * *

><p>Once more the days passed rapidly. The clock tower at the Town Hall, which counted down the months and days until next Halloween, was now replaced to count down the days until Christmas, by replacing the <em><strong>DAYS UNTIL HALLOWEEN<strong>_ and making it _**DAYS UNTIL XMAS**_ instead, by covering _**HALLOWEEN**_ with a sign that read _**XMAS**_.

On this very day, was Christmas Eve. December 24th. The entire town bustled like mad, with the last minute preperations for the big night! So much so, they were even singing a song about making Christmas. Grotesque, macabre, horrific and strange-looking toys were all made to deliver to children all over the world!

Such as a vampire teddy bear, a duck on wheels with bloodied bullet holes painted on it, a nester with a scorpion inside of, a Jack-in-the-box with a Jack-o-Lantern, a bat hat, and so much more. The denizens were all very much excited to celebrate something so new and interesting, especially since their Pumpkin King was beyond excited about it all!

A sleigh was constructed out of a coffin, a garbage can was used as a cargo hold for the toys, and the skeletal reindeer were completed! Rather than eight, three were created instead.

Right now at the moment, inside the small tent that was set up in the town square for Sally to work in, were the couple themselves. You'd think there was a moment of pure joy with them being in each other's presence, but at the moment, that was barely in motion.

The excitement was one-sided, and the worry was one-sided. Jack was excited, Sally was worried.

She was currently putting the final touches to his Sandy Claws suit, which turned out beautifully. Unfortunately, Sally just couldn't feel proud of herself. Her worry was overshadowing any other emotion at the moment.

"You don't look like yourself, Jack." Sally sighed, shaking her head lightly as she stitched the white stuffing along his sleeve. "Not at all."

"I know, isn't it wonderful!" Jack merely announced joyfully. "It's completely different, completely new! And...And I'm so happy I could be in a suit you made for me..." He smiled blissfully down at her. "Thank you so very much, my Sally..." His eye sockets went a little half lidded.

A look of guilt came to her face as she offered a strained smile. "You're welcome..." She said and went back to work.

Jack blinked...Okay, he couldn't not notice it anymore: something was wrong with her. "Sally...are you alright?" he asked curiously. "You seem...unhappy today, my darling. What is it? Aren't you having a jolly Christmas?"

Sally bit her lip, unsure of what to say of the matter. Ever since she'd had her premonition last month, it never left her. She still had nightmares about it, saw the burning smoke and fire every time she closed her eyes, and the bad feeling of an impending disaster was always present in her thoughts. Something was going to happen, she had a feeling it would if they continued like this. But then she had a feeling that if she brought it up, it would only lead to impatience and reassurances that she was silly, or being oblivious.

"No, I'm fine... I'm just worried. You've never done anything like this before and I just hope you're careful." She managed, not looking at him.

Jack smiled warmly down at her. "Oh Sally...of course I'll be careful. I've already told you that. And everything's already set up and secure-the presents are made, Sandy Claws is taking a little vacation, my suit's all fixed and Dr. Finkelstein did a lovely job on the reindeer so I'm sure they'll get me through tonight without any problems at all. I know you're worried about me, Sally, but...it'll be alright. I'll be able to make Christmas, you'll see." He smiled optimistically at her.

"But I..." Sally sighed yet again, lowering the needle. "Jack...are you sure about this? You're...you're taking on something that isn't our own! You..." She took down the drawing on the frame, and pulled back the tracing paper to reveal the original drawing of him as the Pumpkin King. "Jack...you're the _Pumpkin King_!"

"Not anymore!" A smiling Jack took the portrait from her and snapped it in half over his knee. Then he hugged himself with a bright grin! "And I feel so much better now! From Christmas..." his eye sockets turned to her, "...and from having you!" He sighed happily. "My Christmas wouldn't be complete without you...And I know somehow that Christmas will turn out alright as long as you're part of my life... He looked down at her lovingly.

Sally was shocked. He had just torn up his own original image. Practically severing ties he had being the Pumpkin King. He was something he was not. She didn't know what to do, what to say. She couldn't even feel enamoured at his sweet words to her. This whole thing...had to stop. She couldn't let it go anymore.

"Jack, stop this." She said in a firm tone. "You are becoming something you are _not_. And this...this whole thing, it's fine in spirit, but to actually take it over through and through? Including being Sandy Claws..." She sighed, placing the needle aside and turning away, holding her head. "I can't do this anymore. I'm not going to keep my mouth closed any longer. You might think my premonition was silly and utter nonsense, and that's fine, I understand. But this can't go on! Something terrible will happen to you, I can feel it. If it really were just a silly burning flower, wouldn't I have been long over it by now? ...Jack, I am not saying this because I have ill will toward Christmas, I don't. I like it too. I really do. But this...it's a warning sign that disaster will follow you."

Jack blinked, utterly taken aback by her firm words. "I...I..." He barely knew what to say. No one had ever spoken to him like that and...there was so much passion in her voice, so much sincerity, so much desire...Honestly, if they didn't obviously need to have a talk right now, the whole thing would have almost been..._attractive_. Alluring, even. "I..." Jack started again... Then he blinked and shook his head to clear it and stepped off of the stool he had been on and looked at her sincerely. "Sally...I don't think your premonition is silly...And I appreciate your concern so very much. But Sally, I...I don't know how to explain it but...I just...know I have to try this. I can't help it...I just know I have to try... And...I...Sally, even if I wanted to, I couldn't turn back now. It's Christmas Eve and Sandy's already on break and all those children are expecting toys and eaten cookies and milk and Christmas! How could I disappoint them by canceling the whole thing? Sally, I promise, I won't linger-I'll just deliver the presents and get right back and then after this it can be all about Halloween again but I just have to try just this once! Please understand, I don't mean to insult you by not taking your advice in this matter, I just...have to try...I can feel it in my bones..." And then he moved closer to her and added sincerely, "And I can also feel in my bones that I'll come back to you...I feel that even more deeply than I feel that Christmas is wonderful..."

A part of her wanted to snap and get angry if that would get her point across. But she couldn't do that, she wasn't like that. And she wasn't mad, just disappointed and worried. While reassured he didn't find her premonition silly, it still didn't help. She turned back around, looking sincere, yet still worried. "I know how you feel...and I know you feel something is missing, Jack... But you're not listening to me. You're hearing me, but you're not _listening_. I don't even know what to say anymore. I know I can't tell you what to do and anything I say in trying to stop you will only make things worse." She sighed, biting her lip again. "But I really don't think my premonition is wrong. I hope it's wrong, but I have a feeling it isn't." She felt so defeated, and felt like crying. "...You know what, just...do whatever you feel is right. I can't stop you. There's nothing more I can say. You are you your own person and I refuse to play the role of a nagging girlfriend. All I can say is to be careful, and come home safely." Her words were sincere, but she felt like a louse for saying all of that. "...I will still be here, waiting for you. ...We all will."

Jack just looked...a little crushed. She seemed like she just...hated this whole thing...Like she hated it and was angry with him, but she just couldn't see that he...needed to...do this...How could he disappoint the town and all those children and Sandy Claws by backing out now? On top of which he...didn't want to back out...He wanted to go on his ride. He wanted to try this, to soar, to have one brilliant night where he could be nothing he had ever been before! Where he could escape everything about the pattern his life had fallen into. "I..." he let out a small, defeated sigh... "I'm sorry you feel that way, Sally..." he merely said quietly, a touch of devastation in his tone as he looked down with a small, sad frown. "I'm sorry this is upsetting you so much...and that you don't like my decision..." He paused...and then added softly, still not looking up to her eyes. "But you must know...if anything would guarantee my safe return...it's that I'm coming home to you...I just want everyone to be happy, Sally...and I want to be happy too...You told me once that it was okay for me to have problems and that I deserved to be happy and...that's all I'm trying to do...I'm sorry it makes you unhappy though. I hope you can forgive me one day." And now he finally managed to turn his saddened skull up to look at her.

A soft sigh escaped Sally and she folded her arms over her chest, holding them as she looked toward him sadly. "I'm sorry." Was all she said.

"Jack! Jack! Jack! We got him! We got him!" Came the shrill, shouting voices of Lock, Shock and Barrel.

Jack blinked several times at the interruption and then, before going over to the kids, he took Sally by the shoulders and whispered to her softly. "No...please don't be sorry. I always want you to be honest to me. If you're not honest to me then what's the point? We can talk about this more later...I have to go now...I love you..." He leaned in, about to kiss her lips, but then hesitated, worried that she might not want that if she was upset with him, and so he settled for kissing her on the forehead and gave her a quick hug.

"I love you, too..." Was all she could manage in a whisper before he was gone.

She then stepped out to see what was going on and what the kids possibly had.

"He's big!" Said Lock.

"And heavy!"

"Let me out!" Came a voice from inside the large plastic sack and a head popped out, wearing a red cone-shaped hat with a white pompom at the end of it.

It was Santa Claus, the ruler of Christmas Town. Or as he was known around in Halloween Town, Sandy Claws.

Sally gasped, wide-eyed. They _kidnapped Sandy Claws!_ "No...no...!" She uttered to herself.

Jack's eye sockets lit up! "Sandy Claws! In person! It's such an honor to meet you! Welcome!" Jack reached out to shake the holiday leader's hand, but then paused and blinked. "Why...you have hands! You don't have claws at all!"

Santa just coughed and spluttered. "What...What is the meaning of this?"

Jack just smiled more. "This year you're going to take it easy, Sandy-consider it a little vacation! I'll be taking over Christmas this year!"

Santa blinked. "What, but...me on vacation? On Christmas Eve?"

Jack just chuckled and nodded. He looked to Lock Shock and Barrel now. "See that he's comfortable!" The three kids nodded and were about to take him away when Jack stopped them. "Oh, wait a second!" And then Jack reached out and took Santa's hat and popped it on his skull. "Perfect! Alright, kids, take him away!" And with that Lock, Shock and Barrel took Santa away as Jack put on his new hat.

"You just can't-Hold on, where are we going now?" Santa protested as he was shoved back into the bag completely.

Sally watched the entire scene unfold in horror, completely appalled. Kidnapping Sandy Claws? But she was under the impression that...

How could he stoop this low? Well-meaning intentions, maybe, but she had an even worse feeling about it all.

"This is worse than I thought...much worse." She groaned, holding her head and squeezing her eyes shut.

Then it struck her.

Since Jack needed to fly in order to reach the destinations of the world, she had to figure out a way to prevent that. Fog. A perfect staple of their town to create tension, suspense, and terror. Fog thick and dense enough that you couldn't see two feet in front of you. With a heavy fog, he wouldn't be able to fly.

"I know just what to do to stop him." Sally said to herself, smiling then. She hated to have to crush his dreams like this, but there was no other choice.

* * *

><p>With this plan in mind, Sally had hurried back to Dr. Finkelstein's lab, going right to her room. She quickly removed the floorboard, and took out one of the contents within the secret compartment. It was a heavy, handled, corked bottle with<em><strong> FOG JUICE<strong>_ engraved upon one side.

"This'll stop Jack."

Exiting her room, she passed by one of the many rooms in the laboratory, and came to see...what looked like Dr. Finkelstein creating something. It was strapped to an upright operating table, heavily bandaged, and he was opening its cranium, and she could see it had a head shaped like his own.

Placing the bottle down out of sight, she peered into the room. "Doctor? What are you doing?"

"Huh?" The doctor grumbled at first, but then he seemed to really notice Sally and he almost jumped in surprise! "S-Sally! Wh-What is it?" he asked, almost...nervously...And he even sort of wheeled his chair in front of whatever was on the table.

"Nothing, you just...ooh! Are you making another creation?" Sally couldn't help but smile quite a bit. She recalled several times, especially back on Halloween, how he could make other creations to solve the problem with her. "I...just saw you working there and I was wondering if that was the case."

The doctor glanced away a little. "I...well, I...just thought that...erm..." He sighed and turned his chair away a little, doing his best to resume some of his normal gruffness. "It's not important..." he mumbled.

"Oh." Sally looked a bit sad at this. Obviously he didn't trust her enough to share. "...I understand, Doctor. I'm sorry I interrupted... Please, don't let me keep you." She left the room, picking the bottle of Fog Juice and heading out.

"W-Wait...S-Sally!" the doctor called her back suddenly, moving his chair a little forward toward the door!

Hiding the bottle behind her back, she came back into view again. "Y-Yes?"

Dr. Finkelstein gulped and looked to the side with a small scowl again. "I don't mean to offend you by creating another...girl. I hope that's not the case... You've...turned out...to be very good to me..." His gaze softened but only just a little.

Relieved he didn't catch on to her sneaky tactic, she smiled. "Oh, no no! Not at all, Doctor...in fact, I'm very glad you're making new creations, as I've told you before. It should be very helpful to you in the long run, I suppose..."

Dr. Finkelstein swallowed, for a moment nervousness returning to his countenance. "Y-Yes, well...that's what I'm h-hoping...Y-You see, I...h-have this new, erm...s-scientific theory! Yes, that's it!" He smiled a little again at being able to 'science-up' what he was really doing.

"Ooh, I see..." Sally smiled more, nodding. "Well all right, carry on then, Doctor! Um, I'm just...g-going out to see off...Jack and his...Christmas thing..." She said this with visible discomfort.

The doctor eyed her for a moment...then he wheeled himself closer to her. "Sally..." he never took his eyes off of her... "You're worried about Christmas...aren't you?" he asked plainly.

Sally was shocked. Never, not once, had he ever spoken right out about how she was feeling about something, or would even ask her about how she was feeling about something. She was...touched. It almost felt like...he was a worried father. She sighed, nodding. "Yes. I am. Very worried. It's not the entire thing itself, that I like. ...It's just...Doctor, I know this sounds absolutely ridiculous, but hear me out. The morning I came back from having snuck out the last time, a month ago...I picked up this forget-me-not in the graveyard. And then it turned into a Christmas tree...but then it burned, smoke and fire. Since then, I've had dreadful feelings about it and nightmares...I think it truly was a warning about how Christmas would be a disaster if Jack followed through with it." She could not believe she was telling him this, and yet...she just couldn't lie, and just couldn't leave anything out. Maybe...someone would listen to her. "I tried to tell him, he wouldn't listen to me... We had an argument before I came back here..." She looked sad at this. "I know it's silly, Doctor. And I don't expect you to believe me. But...that's how I feel."

The doctor took all of this in without showing much emotion. Several seconds passed...and then he sighed and turned his chair around and moved himself over to his new experiment. As he worked, he talked to Sally, choosing his words carefully. "Sally...let me ask you...how many times ever since I made you have you poisoned me and snuck away...?"

A wave of dismay ran through her, but she sighed and honestly answered his question. "Six times. Five, but six including the last time. ...Why do you ask?"

The doctor let out a sigh, snagging a soldering iron to work on a few of his 'monster's ' bones. "You're not very scary...or very strong...and this place is very 'active', especially at night...Wouldn't you agree to all of these things, Sally?" he asked, once again quite plainly.

"...Yes." Sally sighed, a look of chagrin coming to her face. "I do agree, Doctor. I have known this for some time."

"And yet...despite the dangers...and despite my constant warnings not to...you snuck out those six times...alone...sometimes not coming back for days...You told me you were restless, curious, that you couldn't help it...Are all of these things true?" He put down the soldering iron and picked up a screwdriver to tweak a few things at his 'monster's' joints.

"Yes. I was restless, curious, and I wanted to be free and see the outside world." Indeed, she felt like a child who's parents were trying to tell her not to play with matches or go to a certain dangerous place, only piquing her curiosity and going to try to explore it to see what the fuss was about. "Doctor, if I may, what is it that you're getting at?"

Dr. Finkelstein let out a sigh and put down his tool. He turned his chair around to face her. "What I'm 'getting at', Sally, is that I wasn't just being selfish when I didn't want you to leave this place-I also wanted you locked up in here for your protection! You are not like other people here, Sally, I made you with something more than horror in mind! And there are genuine things in this place that could hurt or bother you if you're left on your own, and as your creator I wanted to keep you safe from those things, at until I'd had more time to teach you about them! And look what happened-you disobeyed and disobeyed and something did end up catching notice of you! The scariest being in town! Though luckily he's not dangerous...and even luckier still, he cares for you.

You did what you needed to do, regardless of my wishes, and though it was dangerous and risky and not what you were supposed to be doing...somehow you managed to pull it off and to make it work in the end. And so now Jack has something he has decided to do-and to be honest it is possibly the most foolish thing that boy has ever done except maybe when he let me get used to the idea of the two of you as lovers by having me walk in on the two of you in that heated embrace that first time. But, regardless of the foolishness of this Christmas thing, Jack is curious and restless and he cannot help needing to pursue it, especially not at this point! And he is our King and even if some of us disagree with his preferences...we must do our best to support him and be there for him when he needs us for all he has done for us over the centuries. I know you're terrified he'll perish, Sally...as I was terrified of something happening to you...But if you continue to pursue this argument with him, it will only lead to bitterness and you will not win! He'll go just on principle if all else fails! Find another way to deal with the situation, Sally...And if all else fails just love and support and hope for him...because that is all you can do. And if he's as fortunate as you are...he'll return and somehow all will be well..."

Concluding this speech, the doctor let out a final sigh and wheeled his chair around to face his new creation. He began working on her again. He spoke to Sally a little more over his shoulder, though now in a quieter and even somewhat softer tone. "This is Jewel...I'm making her for several reasons. First...my first creation of life turned out so well that...I decided a second one might not be so bad either. Second, I...well...Sally, you love Jack and you take such good care of me now...yet I can't imagine how well you must take care of Jack since he's the one you love. So I thought...p-perhaps...s-since I'm giving her half of my brain...Jewel might...love me...the way you love Jack...and then she would take care of me in that special way you must take care of him...And third..." he let out a breath... "I'm assuming that...considering you and Jack...you'll...probably go off to live with him one day...and I'd rather not be alone...so...there you have it..." He let out another sigh and then diligently immersed himself as much as possible in his creation.

Sally stood there, in absolute shock, as she took in what he had told her. It was true that she knew that he wasn't cruel nor selfishly trying to keep her away. He just wanted to protect her and was worried, for very valid reasons. He just had a misguided way of showing it and going about it.

And she realized...just how much of herself she was seeing in all of what Jack was doing. Restless, curious, eager to see something new beyond...there really was that connection between them. She could not believe she never truly saw it that way before.

All along, she was the curious, restless and free-spirited child who wanted to do what she wanted and not let anyone stop her.

The doctor stopped her in a fatherly way, albeit in a misguided sense, to protect her and keep her safe due to the dangers of the fact that she wasn't a scary being and could be very easily taken advantage of if she wasn't careful. She could remember how Jack often warned her to beware of Oogie Boogie...

Now, the situation was so similar.

She was the one trying to protect someone she cared about and keep them grounded, fearing something would happen to them if they went through with it. She really was just like her creator in that sense.

"...Doctor..._thank you_." Was all she said before leaving.

* * *

><p>Much later, when night had descended upon Halloween Town, this was when it all was coming to a head. It was Christmas Eve, and was then time for takeoff!<p>

The citizens all gathered around in the town square, cheering happily as the band played jolly Christmas music. A ramp had been made for the sleigh's takeoff, the skeletal reindeer were set and ready, and the coffin lay there, its lid closed.

'_I'm so sorry, Jack.._.' Sally thought, creeping over to the town fountain. She hated to do this, to stop Jack like that...but she had to. It was the last resort she had. She uncorked the bottle, and quickly poured the Fog Juice into the fountain.

Meanwhile, up on the stage, the mayor was going on and on with a speech in praise of Jack...and Jack, in a rare moment of non-humility, was sort of just grinning with his eye sockets closed and with his chin proudly upward...

"...You who have devastated...the souls...of..."

It was at that point that the fog had rolled in, making the Mayor unable to read even the piece of paper right in front of his face. "Oh no..." Jack looked around at the fog... "We'll never be able to take off in this...The reindeer can't see an inch past their noses..."

A frown came to Jack's face...and yet...perhaps...a small part of him was a tiny bit relieved at something to stop his flight, though he wouldn't admit this feeling to himself...After all...Sally really had started to worry him tonight with all her talk of bad feelings and premonitions...and he also knew that by going through with his ride he was upsetting her...But still mostly he was rather disappointed-all these months of buildup only to end in...nothing? He sighed, feeling so unfulfilled inside at the moment... And the worst part as that he didn't even have his Sally to make that unfulfilled feeling go away. He had wanted her to join him on the stage tonight but...after their...'talk'... during his fitting, he had figured it better not to propose the idea to her. Now he just looked downward with a frown and lamented his loss. "There go my hopes...my dreams..."

"There goes Christmas!" Ethan, the corpse kid, bewailed.

"Arf! Arf!"

Jack sighed. "No, Zero. Down, boy." And then suddenly Zero's nose caught Jack's eye...or more specifically the light from Zero's nose caught Jack's eye...and an idea sparked inside of him and he smiled in newfound hope. "Zero...what a brilliant nose you have...The better to light my way! To the head of the team Zero!" 'Perfect!' was all he could think to himself. '_Even if Sally's worried about my safety, I'm sure wherever she is she'll be happy to see that Zero's coming with me to help keep me safe! And with his guidance we'll get done twice as quickly and then I can get back here to her and we can be okay again! Splendid!_' Instantly Jack was in his sleigh and Zero was in front of the skeletal reindeer and Jack was cracking his whip in the air for the sleigh to start to take off!

Sally who had at first been relieved that the fog worked, instantly was thrown into a pit of worry and despair yet again. She knew Zero was only trying to help and was oblivious to her intentions, so she didn't blame him at all. The crowd was all cheering around her, as she tried to run forward.

"Jack, wait, _NO!_" She cried, reaching out in vain.

Her voice saying his name caught his ears. Somehow, above the cheers of the crowd, it just did... And in a split second decision, as the sleigh was moving up the ramp, his eyes searched and he found her, and he pulled something from the inside of his Sandy Claws coat and tossed it to her. A letter with something attached to it...

Sally caught it, and before she took the moment to examine the object, her eyes scanned the note attached to it first.

_**Dearest Sally,**_

_**Words can't describe how sad I am about our fight. I would never do anything to upset you. I value your love, your opinion, your esteem above these things from anyone else. Though, I must go on this ride tonight. Perhaps it is foolish but for some reason I can't explain, I have to at least try. **_

_**I'll try and explain later when I get back but for now I hope you can accept my deepest apologies for any offense I might have given you, for any sadness I might have caused. And I also hope that you'll accept this. **_

_**It's one of my rib bones-I believe you saw me playing with Zero once using one. It's to remember me by and you must know that I'll come back, both for my bone and for you. I love you. I'll return before morning. **_

_**Eternal love, your dearest Jack**_

The letter struck her heart, and the feel of his own rib bone in her hand...tears poured down her face as she clutched both items against her, trying to hold herself together. She looked up at the sky, seeing the faraway sight of the sleigh going further and further away. The crowd dissipated around her, neither taking notice of her.

"Goodbye, Jack..." She managed, holding both the letter and bone to her dearly. "My dearest Jack..."

She walked off toward the nearby gate, where the band members were playing.

"Oh, how I hope my premonition is wrong..."

Sniffling, more tears falling down her face, she felt to soothe herself in the only way she knew how right now. Singing...

Along with the band playing soft, sad, mournful music, she began singing a little song.

"_I sense there's something in the wind  
>That feels like tragedy's at hand<br>And though I'd like to stand by him  
>Can't shake this feeling that I have...<em>"

Lowering her head, still clutching the precious items in her hands, she leaned against the gate, singing still.

"_The worst is just around the bend  
>And does he notice my warnings to him?<br>And will he see how I wish he'd listen to me  
>I think it's not to be...<em>"

A soft dancing sway emitted from her body as she held onto the wrought-iron gate with one hand, staring mournfully out beyond it into the foggy night.

"_What will become of my dear friend?  
>Where will his actions lead us then?<br>Although I'd like to join the crowd  
>In their enthusiastic cloud...<em>"

She went through the gate this time, through a wide spot, and could see a little black cat on the ground. Kneeling down beside it, she petted it, and it climbed onto her lap.

"_Try as I may, it doesn't last  
>And will we ever come back together?<br>Oh, I hope so, it may just be a whim  
>For I will wait for him...<em>."

Sniffling, she began to cry softly as she knelt down on the ground, clutching the letter and rib bone, the cat meowing to comfort her, and the band members sadly ending the song, as well.


	6. Reunited

**Azure129: Ooo the gripping conclusion! I hope you all enjoy :D Prepare for cuteness when it's all over! R&R! Thank you! OwO**

**NintendoGal55: Final chapter! :D What we also did that was awesome was add a behind-the-scenes look at what happened when Oogie Boogie pulled Santa and Sally back into his lair!**

* * *

><p>While Sally had been singing her sweet song of love and longing, Jack's sleigh had been barreling through the night sky towards the real world laden with presents...and yet, despite the fact that he was getting to have Christmas right here and right now, FINALLY...all he could think of was...his Sally...Had she gotten his note okay? Did she forgive him? And maybe...at the back of his mind he couldn't help but wonder, though it made him flustered to think about it...was she...t-touching his bone he had left her now or something m-maybe...Holding it gently in her soft cloth fingers...<p>

An utterly shy Jack shook his skull to clear it and to come back to the reality at hand. 'First things first...Deliver the presents and be Sandy Claws...then I can return to her...and all will be well with us again...' He smiled hopefully at the idea and tensed the reigns. "Alright Zero, let's head down to the first house!" he called out and with a little nod from his faithful canine companion, the sleigh started to descend...

* * *

><p>Hours later Jack had delivered so many presents and he was so very happy...he guessed...though...to be honest...no present delivery had made him feel quite as good as the present he had given his Sally earlier. 'Oh well...almost done with the ride...Then I can return to her...' He smiled somewhat blissfully at the idea... "Hmm...I don't know, Zero..." he spoke in a somewhat dreamy voice to his little dog who was still leading the way, "Christmas hasn't been a 'disaster' certainly, but...I...well...call me crazy, Zero, and especially after all of this preparation and build up but...I think I like...I think... I love Sally better than Christmas." Finally having admitted it Jack couldn't help but warm up inside and even chuckle. "Oh Zero, let's finish up as quickly as we can and get home to our sweet Sa-Oh Zero, look, fireworks! They're celebrating! They're thanking us for doing a good job!"<p>

He was overjoyed...until the first 'firework' grazed their sleigh. "Whoa!" Jack gulped in a touch of worry and looked down over his shoulder. "Be careful down there, you almost hit us!"...A few more 'fireworks' almost 'hit' them...And then Jack realized... "They're TRYING to hit us!" 'Oh no...Oh no, oh no, oh no, what have I done?' "ZERO!" Jack called out in despair, reality just smacking him! And now he had not only put his dear Sally in danger of never having him return but he had endangered his faithful friend Zero too! '_No...It...No!_'

Then the sleigh exploded... "_Sally_!" he couldn't help but yell in despair as he felt himself fly up...and then fall down...and black out for a bit...

Later...he felt himself coming back...though he almost sort of didn't want to come back.

He felt so... foolish...

Almost disgustingly foolish...

'_What was I thinking...This...This...sham I created! What is wrong with me... I had such a wonderful life and I almost threw it away just to...just to, what, prove that I could if I wanted to? Oh...she must despise me for putting her through so much...for almost putting her through promising to come back and then...not coming back... How could I ever make it up to her...Sally...Sally..._' He hadn't opened his eye sockets yet...and he wanted to be saying her name instead of just thinking it...but he...couldn't for some reason...

A second passed and then he felt a familiar little ghostly presence near him...and then something clicked against his skull. It took him a second to realize it was his jaw, which must have been blown off in the blast, but when he did he pressed it in to relock it in place and then he let out a sigh and opened his eye sockets...

He barely sat up, thinking...as he sadly lamented in song, which came to be something of what he had sang a month before, upon the conclusion of what he had to do back then, which lead to this.

"_What have I done?  
>What have I done?<br>How could I be so blind?  
>All is lost, where was I?<br>Spoiled all, spoiled all  
>Everything's gone all wrong <em>

_What have I done?  
>What have I done?<br>Find a deep cave to hide in  
>In a million years they'll find me<br>Only dust and a plaque  
>That reads 'Here Lies Poor Old Jack'<em>"

As Jack lay back onto the open book of the tombstone, he just...had a thought then. Despite this terrible shortcomings...it wasn't as if he tried to do something terrible on purpose. He had nothing but good intentions. He only hoped others would understand that.

"_But I never intended all this madness, never  
>And nobody really understood, well, how could they?<br>That all I ever wanted was to bring them something great  
>Why does nothing ever turn out like it should?<em>"

Right then, Jack just...smiled, in his old Pumpkin King way, and realized the very true core of this whole situation. Sure, things may have gone wrong, but at least in the end, there was some good to come out of it. A look at the bright side! With that in mind, Jack stood up, feeling as if he were rejuvenated.

_"Well, what the heck, I went and did my best  
>And, by God, I really tasted something swell, that's right<br>And for a moment, why, I even touched the sky  
>And at least I left some stories they can tell, I did<em>

_And for the first time since I don't remember when_  
><em>I felt just like my ond bony self again<em>  
><em>And I, Jack, the Pumpkin King<em>  
><em>That's right! I am the Pumpkin King, ha, ha, ha, ha<em>!"

With that he tore off the tattered, ripped and ragged remains of his suit (which he would later regret), with his usual suit having been worn beneath it.

"_And I just can't wait until next Halloween  
>'Cause I've got some new ideas that will really make them scream<br>And, by God, I'm really going to give it all my might!  
><em>

Jack realized then, that even with this newfound revalation and philosophy in mind..there was still one little problem. Zero bringing Santa's hat to him was what reminded him. "Uh-oh, I hope there's still time to set things right. Sandy Claws, hmm..."

Right then, his conclusion was that he had to get back to Halloween Town NOW-'_Sandy Claws...I have to get Sandy Claws...and Sally..._' He ripped open a tomb entrance and stormed right in, having a feeling he could get there this way. Zero followed his master eagerly.

* * *

><p>~Much earlier~<p>

Sally had since then gone back to the lab to her room, and created a small chain to hold the bone securely, which she now wore around her neck, with the letter tucked safely into her pocket. She was now wandering wistfully through the town, often placing her hands along the bone around her neck, hoping with all of her heart that Jack would return safely, as well as hoping to apologize for how little faith she seemed to have in him.

She went over to join the crowd around the monitoring cauldron, where they denizens were monitoring Jack's progress. To begin with she saw the image of him flying in the coffin sleigh, laughing in a Sandy Claws way and pointing downward. She felt a sliver of hope.

But then...

Sally grew horrified as she heard a dreaded voice-over newscast from the Real World.

"_Reports are pouring in from all over the globe that an impostor is shamelessly impersonating Santa Claus, mocking and mangling this joyous holiday._"

The townsfolk all clapped and happily cheered at this, seeing it as a good thing.

Sally didn't. She leaned further in, holding a hand to her ear as she listened to the dreaded news report.

"_Police assure us that this moment, military units are mobilizing to stop the perpetrator of this heinous crime._"

"Jack..." Sally spoke over the newscaster, but no one seemed to notice. "Someone has to help to Jack."

He was in trouble. It was just as her premonition had told her.

'It's just as I feared...' She thought, backing away from the viewing source. She had to do something. She was the only one who seemed to realize just how serious this was, especially since no one else seemed to know about this at all. She wished everyone else could back her up, but no such luck.

She had to go it alone. But who could possibly-

It hit her.

Sandy Claws.

If he was free and able to get back out there, he could set things right with Christmas and stop Jack once and for all! She couldn't do it, but the ruler of Christmas Town himself could surely stop this.

"Where'd they take that Sandy Claws?" She demanded fiercely to no one in particular.

Putting two and two together, since she now knew that Lock, Shock and Barrel were responsible for kidnapping and bringing Sandy Claws to the town, she knew where she had to go. The one place Jack and Dr. Finkelstein told her many times NEVER to go to.

She ran, as fast her unbalanced legs could carry her (nearly tripping and falling a few times), into the graveyard and past the grounds of the pumpkin patch. All toward the treehouse where the trio dwelled. They had taken him to Oogie Boogie, she was sure of it.

Upon reaching the place, she wondered how to get in. But it wasn't until she saw a rope suspending a cage down below. It was then she heard maniacal laughter. Oogie Boogie. And then someone yelling and demanding to be released.

"Sandy Claws...!" Sally frowned then, and knew what she had to do.

She took hold of the rope, and carefully lowered herself down into the pit. Letting go, she came to a barred, round opening, and peered down into a grotesque casino.

"Just as I thought..." She mumbled.

The burlap sack with stitches, she could only guess was Oogie Boogie, danced around as he spoke menacingly to Santa, who was currently tied up by his wrists a few feet above the floor, with the rope suspended a few feet away from her vision. She had to somehow get him free. A rope ladder sat next to her that she could use, but how to distract Oogie Boogie?

She thought, long and hard for a few moments, before she pulled the stitches off her left leg, and then severed her hands.

XXX

"Are you sure you're not a gamblin' man...Sandy?" Oogie got in close to Santa Claus, grinning viciously as he played with the dice in his hand. "Because I sure am...And I'm sure in the mood for some snake...and spider...and Sandy Claws stew! Ah ha ha ha ha ha!" He held his sides and reeled backwards in mirth! "Heh, heh, heh, I..."

Then something out of the corner of his eye caught his attention.

He turned and... 'Hubba hubba!' "Well...what have we here?" He spit some bug juice into one of his burlap hands and stropped back the little flap at the top of his head before ditching Santa for a moment to check out... '_...whatever sweet little stitched thing happened to wander down here...Hmm, I wonder if she's got bugs as stuffing too? Only one way to find out I suppose.._.' He grinned even

more maliciously and finally reached the leg, upon which he paused and took the coy thing roughly in his hands. "Hmm...very nice..." He began to play with it and stroke it as much as he wanted.

Sally tried hard not to cringe and feel disgusted at the horrendous creature touching her leg like that, but at least it distracted him. Her severed hands trailed down the rope rapidly, landing on Santa's beard. One hand covered his mouth to stifle him from making a sound, and the other hand pointed up. When he did look up and saw her, Sally peered out through the bars to assure him she was here to help him.

"I'll get you out of here." She whispered.

Her severed hands undid his bounds, letting Santa free. She then lowered the planked rope ladder down into the casino so he could climb up and out with her.

"Tickle, tickle, tickle...Tickle, tickle..." Oogie had tried 'tickling' a little too far up...Sally's full leg came forward...not attached to a body. Oogie scowled...and then turned around...And a black look came to his face at the sight before him of the near rescue attempt. "WHAT?.! You tried to make a dupe out of ME?" And then suddenly he puffed himself up and opened his mouth and growled and began to inhale to the point of creating a wind tunnel, pulling Sally and her ladder entirely inside of his lair!

Screaming, Sally was sucked right inside, and landed on the floor next to Santa Claus, a few feet away from Oogie Boogie. She gulped, terrified, and tried to move away, but with no hands and one leg, she was stuck. Her leg was tossed back to her, roughly, and her hands came pattering over to rejoin her.

"You let her go this instant!" Santa demanded the horrendous creature. "This is absolute mutiny!"

"This is FALSE ADVERTISING!" Oogie thundered, looking at Sally in anger. "Who do you think you are, coming in here and enticing me?" He almost smirked a little. "Maybe if you hadn't been trying to trick me I would have considered letting you be my Oogie Queen, heh..." He raised his eyebrows up and down a few times in a suggestive manner...but then scowled darkly again. "But now I think..." an evil smile returned, "I think I make up a special batch of snake and spider...and Sandy...and Sally stew..." He leaned in quickly, snarling at her. "Sew yourself together...I like my prey whole before I have my way with it! Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha!" And then he stood up and laughed loudly and evilly, holding his burlap stomach sides!

Sally cringed, shrinking back a little. "Ewww..."

As she was sewing her hands and leg back on, she couldn't help but look at Santa with an apologetic, sorrowful look. "Mr. Claws, I'm so very sorry for this. I...I tried to stop this madness..." She managed, looking down in shame.

Santa blinked: not only had he been surprised at having a sudden savior but he was doubly surprised by her sweet apology...and at the fact that she recognized all of this as madness. He spoke kindly to her, doing his best to provide something soothing for her under the circumstances. "Miss...I can't thank you enough for trying to rescue me in the first place. Those awful children shoved me down here, I didn't think anyone would find me...Oh what is wrong with your holiday leader? He must come save us before it's too late, Miss...er...hold on..." He closed his eyes, going through the catalogue in his head of everyone's names, which always had to be on his naughty and nice list. Then his eyes popped open and he actually smiled a little as he turned to her again and spoke. "Miss Sally...yes, that's it. Thank you so much for trying, Miss Sally...But we need your holiday leader to fix this mess since he's the one who started it."

A sad smile came to Sally's face, feeling a bit better as Santa recognized her trying to help him. "You're welcome, Mr. Claws. I didn't think you would be dragged into it like this, I didn't even know you were to be kidnapped." She sighed then. "What Jack has done...yes, it was so very wrong. I knew from the beginning...that there was disaster soon to follow. I tried to warn him, but he wouldn't listen to me. ...Oh, but don't think badly of him, Mr. Claws...he was only trying with the best intentions...even if things went wrong. Hopefully he'll come back in time to help set things right..."

Santa just let out a deep sigh. "I...I know, Sally...I know he had the best intentions...I'm Santa Claus...I can feel when someone's truly nice and when someone's truly naughty...I know Jack is nice. But Miss Sally, he must come back very soon or...or-"

Suddenly there was a whirring sound and the mixer in Oogie's vat started to go. "Ooo, it's warming up!" The creature looked over to them with a malicious grin. "How would you like to be cooked? Baked, broiled, boiled, sliced, diced, or how about just burned to a crisp? Ah ha ha ha ha ha!" He laughed and began prancing around this place just because he could.

Then suddenly he had scooped up Sally and pinned her against the slab Santa was on too. He began to tie up her hands. "It really is too bad, rag doll...You're very cute...and...and...oooh...what is this?" He began sniffing around her neck and suddenly with his burlap hand he reached out and took up her necklace with Jack's bone. "The pumpkin king...this is from him...I can smell it..." He evil grin grew and he looked to Sally. "You're his woman, aren't you? Oh this is too delicious..." He walked off, finished tying her up, chuckling madly.

"You will not touch that! I am his woman, and he'll think twice before letting you overtake us!" Sally yelled in desperate anger. "You wait 'till Jack hears about this! When he gets through with you, you'll be lucky if-"

Suddenly, from outside, they could hear the distant but still clear megaphone announcement from the Mayor, no doubt driving around town in his hearse.

"The king of Halloween has been blown to smithereens. Skeleton Jack is now a pile of dust..." Came the tearful announcement.

Sally's eyes widened, gasping, utterly stricken and heartbroken. "No...no..." It was her worst fears. If not for the situation now, she would have been in tears. "Jack...no..."

"Oh...Oh dear..." was all that came from Santa in a whisper as he shook his head. "No, this can't be right..."

Oogie just laughed...just laughed and laughed and laughed. "A-And on that note..." He moved over to the lever alongside the slab with his prisoners upon it. "Why don't we do a few roles of the dice...and pull the lever as we go?" He gave the lever a little jerk to make the table jerk upward from its flat position just to show them what it would do as he went along...and how it would end up vertical...and they would end up in his stew. "Hey and how about you blow on the dice for me? What do you say, rag doll?" He raised his eyebrows at her suggestively, holding out the dice.

Sally managed to glare at him, though her vulnerability and utter sadness were breaking through tenfold. She pursed her lips, narrowed her eyes and instead spat at him, before turning her head away.

"Ugh!" Oogie gasped, wiping her spit from his face and then glaringly darkly at her. "Oooh you want it the hard way then, huh, rag doll? Fine..." Oogie tossed the dice roughly into the corner against a skull head and they rolled out of its mouth. He grinned at the number. " Seven! Looks like I'm lucky tonight..." And then he gave the lever seven rough pulls forward, causing Sally and Santa to end up half vertical.

"Monster, you must stop this! Don't you realize what you're doing? The ramifications of it! Stop this at once!"

Yet Santa's cries only made Oogie laugh some more and go grab his dice to give them another toss. "Give it up Sandy, rag doll-there's no one left to save you...not that Jack could have even if he tried. So 'good willed' and 'gentlemanly'-is that any way for the King of Halloween to act, hmm? Peh! If I was running the show everyone in this town would be frightened out of their warped minds constantly! Heh, heh...And anyone who wasn't ,well..." He patted his burlap stomach, "I'm always in need of a special secret ingredient or two for my snake and spider stew." He winked at both of them.

This wasn't good. Both she and Santa were completely tied up with no hope of escaping, and Jack...Jack was gone...blown to smithereens. Sally wanted to cry, but she just couldn't let herself do that. Not in front of the enemy, and most especially not in front of Santa, whom she was trying to be strong for. If not for the motivation to get him out, she would have given up.

"You're wrong! Jack was ten times the King YOU would ever be!" Sally cried, and then resorted to the only other option she had.

Screaming for help.

"Help! Help! Help! HELP!" She screamed as loud as she could, hoping someone could hear them. "HELP!"

XXX

Jack was running...just running through the Hinterlands and the woods and...he didn't even know where he was going specifically, he just knew that he had to get there fast! And that it was someplace where he could get Sandy Claws and also let Sally know he was well and also just fix this whole horrible mess, and-

"HELP! HELP!"

He paused, right as he was crossing the old bridge. He knew that voice...and it was in trouble...and he knew what was right below too...

Something inside of him shook with...All of the pieces were falling together now and...however angry Jack might have been at Oogie for treating such an honored guest so..._shamefully_...he was...livid that somehow that disgusting 'thing' was anywhere near the most good and loving creature in all the world. He wanted to burst in there, guns blazing, ready to throttle Oogie Boogie in a loss of temper the likes of which he had never had before...But a little tug from Zero at his pant leg and the moment it gave him to consider let Jack realize that he needed the element of surprise in this-secure Sally and Sandy's safety first...then deal with Oogie. Jack looked down to the little dog who was looking up at him in concern. Just just put a finger to his lips and then began to descend the rope leading down into the abyss over which the bridge was stationed.

All Sally could do now was scream in terror and agony, completely terrified at this point. She did all she could to position her feet to keep her from sliding down the slab any further than she was. She could feel the heat from the boiling acidic matter in the pit. If there was one thing she feared, and could destroy her completely, it was fire, even acidic matter. Anything that could melt or deteriorate her body completely.

She closed her eyes, trying to find one moment of peace...

'_Jack...wherever you are now...I'm so sorry... I'm sorry I couldn't save Sandy Claws...I tried. I love you..._'

Opening her eyes, she looked at Santa mournfully, mouthing "I'm sorry" to him.

"Ah yes, one more roll of the dice oughta do it!" Oogie snarled with a grin. He threw the dice across the room and then went through the skull's eye sockets and came out of his mouth. Oogie gasped at the result! "Snake eyes?" He slammed his fist on the ground causing the dice to shift to a much more 'favorable' outcome. "ELEVEN!" He smiled in wicked joy and then turned back to Sandy and Sally. He got his hands on the lever and gave his captives a little wave. "Looks like that's it then, doesn't it? Bye bye rag doll and Sandman! Ha Ha!" He jerked and jerked and jerked the lever.

Both Sally and Santa screamed as they slid down the slab...

It was maybe a few moments before that final dice roll that Jack had gotten onto the ground floor of the lair. He knew he had to time this just right to catch Oogie as off guard as he could and to save his friends. Three jerks of the lever took place and then Jack, from behind the slab, reached up and around and with all of his strength yanked Sandy Claws and Sally off to the side and moved them safely out of sight on the other side of the slab.

"Sandy...I'm so sorry...And Sally...are you alright?" he only had a moment to whisper to them before he would have to go out and face Oogie.

"Jack...!" Sally whispered in utmost happy surprise. He was okay! He was all right! Undead and well! She was so happy!

Santa blinked once or twice as they were placed into an upright coffin out of sight. He wanted to answer but merely nodded, confirming they were fine now.

A wave of relief swept over Jack and he just nodded to them...and then turned back to the slab. He could hear Oogie's Boogie's exclamation of confusion about the fact that he hadn't heard anything land in his vat followed by screams. It was time to make his entrance. "Stay here..." he whispered over his shoulder to Sally and Santa. "I'll take care of this..."

XXX

The battle was won. Jack had defeated the dreadful Oogie Boogie once and for all, and he was no more. If there had been any proof that the renowned Pumpkin King could be absolutely terrifying, it was definitely shown right here.

A disgusting rain of bugs fell from above, into the vat and onto the floor, all of them screaming "My bugs!" unanimously.

One more remained, and that was when Santa stepped in. Literally. He squashed the last remaining bug under his foot angrily, making sure it was dead and stayed dead.

And now that everyone was safe, Jack knew what he had to do. He went right up to Santa, speaking humbly and apologetically as he reached into his suit, producing Santa's hat. "I'm so sorry for making such a mess of your holiday, Mr. Claus..." He nervously handed the bearded man his hat back.

"Bumpy sleighride, Jack?" Santa couldn't help but reply with a touch of annoyance, all things considered...Yes, he knew Jack had meant well enough but still, he was a little at the end of his patience at this point and understandably so. He took the hat back and put it on his head and then looked up at Jack and said very plainly and very honestly, "Jack, the next time you get the sudden urge to take over somebody else's holiday, I'd listen to her!" He pointed to Sally behind him. "She's the only one who makes any sense around this insane asylum!" He headed toward the exit.

"I hope there's still time!" Jack couldn't help but call after him sincerely.

Santa turned around. "To fix Christmas? Well, of course there is! I'm Santa Claus!" He touched the side of his nose and was about to wink to start his ascent up the drainage pipe leading to the surface, but then he paused for just a moment, let out a deep breath, and spoke to Jack a bit more calmly now. "Jack...I know you just...thought you were doing the right thing but...just like Halloween is about more than just decorations and awards and who's the scariest...Christmas is about more than just presents and reindeer. In fact, they're both about the same thing-celebrating with people you love and care about. Remember that, Jack..." And then with a small wave goodbye Santa winked and went up the drainage pipe.

Jack just stood silently a moment, taking that in...a fact he hadn't really understood until his sleigh had been blown up and he had been falling to his demise. And what had he done for Christmas? The exact opposite of being with the ones he loved...the _one_ he loved...He turned around to look at Sally, barely knowing what to say. "Sally, I...I'm so sorry...I was so foolish...Can you ever...ever forgive me?"

Sally walked over to him from where she'd been hiding, smiling as she placed a hand on his shoulder. She looked up for a moment at where Santa had departed, feeling utterly glad that he got out of this okay, able to set things right for Christmas, as it should have been. Just as she had intended earlier.

'_He'll be all right...he knows what to do_.' She thought, and turned back to her beloved. "Jack...I know what you were trying to do, and I cannot fault you for that. And I-"

A searchlight suddenly shone on the two of them, nearly blinding them. Squinting and partially annoyed, they looked up to see the Mayor, along with Zero, Lock, Shock and Barrel in the alcove up above.

"Jack!"

"He's alive!"

"And down here! Just like we said!"

"Grab on, my boy!" The Mayor let down a rope for them to grab.

Wishing he'd had another moment to talk to her but still so very grateful for a way out of here, Jack decided to postpone their conversation and...however it might go, and so he grabbed the ladder and grabbed Sally's arm and the two of them were hoisted high and out of Oogie Boogie's evil lair where they were whisked into the Mayor's car and back to town!

XXX

The townsfolk were of course overjoyed that Jack was back and all right, having woken up from where they were sleeping and came to greet them as the Mayor's hearse drove back into town. Everyone cheered and sang, gathering around their ruler happily.

And then something magical came to happen.

_JINGLE JINGLE JINGLE..._

Santa flew over the town, making it snow! A white Christmas, the first snow that ever came to be in Halloween Town! Naturally everyone was curious, wondering just what this was. But oh, once they got over the surprise, they were having a ball! Playing Hockey, making snow angels, throwing snowballs, snowflakes landing on their tongues...

There were no hard feelings. That's what this had been about.

Sally smiled as she watched it all unfold before her, and couldn't help but do a little dance. She then plucked a forget-me-not, the same flower that had showed her the impending doom premonition, and then slipped away from the crowd. She went through the gate, leading to the graveyard.

Sally went to the snow-covered Spiral Hill, as beautiful snowflakes fell all around her, and she knelt down upon it, gently plucking the petals.

'_At least Jack is back...and hopefully we can work things out..._' She thought, gently placing her hand on the bone still around her neck.

Jack had seen her go off... He wondered if she was really that angry with him...that she didn't even want to see him...For a moment he thought it would be even further selfish of him to pursue her with an apology after all he had put her through...And yet...He sighed... 'I have to at least try...don't I? I have to at least let her know that...even if she never wants to see me again...I'll understand and...as long as she's safe now...that...can be enough for me...' With a small gulp of nervousness Jack went off in the direction he had seen Sally go...and she seemed to be heading toward Spiral Hill.

* * *

><p>'<em>Maybe I...should have waited to talk to him there?<em>' Sally then thought, and then carefully removed the chain from her neck, and looked at the rib bone in her hands, as it seemed to glow in the moonlight. '..._No, I'd prefer to do this in private. ...Oh, maybe I should have told him I forgive him and told him to meet me here..._' She sighed. _'Well, he does need his bone back..._' She couldn't help but reminisce a little, how a month ago, she had lost her arm when she ran away, and he had picked it up and brought it back to her...and even sewed it back on for her. She smiled at the memory. She hadn't severed that arm ever since. Her hand, yes, but never the whole limb.

'_Whatever happens between us now...at least Santa Claus is all right...the town is safe, Jack is back...and Christmas Town will be fine, too. At least all turned out well, and that's what truly matters._'

It took Jack a moment to gather his courage as he stood at the bottom of the hill, looking at her at the top. When he did manage to say something...he tried to sing it, but more spoke it in his nervousness... "My dearest love...if you don't mind...I'd like to apologize for my ride...And hope one day you'll forgive me..." He let the words hang, barely dreaming it was possible that she might actually ever forgive him again...

Sally blinked, and then looked over her shoulder with a smile as she saw him approach. She stood then, facing him, and smiling all the more to let him know she did indeed forgive him, just to begin.

"_And be together...now and forever..._" She sang sweetly. "_For it is plain...as anyone can see...we're simply meant to be..._"

If Jack had had a heart, it would have stopped. At the very least his ascent up the hill stopped for a moment. He looked up at her with wonder and disbelief... "You...really do...forgive me? Even after everything...even after I almost got you..." he couldn't say it...and even the very idea of it alone was enough to make him cringe and almost cry. "You forgive me, Sally?" he had to ask again in uncertainty.

"Of course I forgive you, Jack..." Sally said softly, and then held out his bone to come and get. "...Here...I believe this belongs to you."

Jack gulped, recalling the bone he had given her, and then slowly and shyly walked up the hill...almost afraid that she would disappear and turn out to be an illusion of the snow. "I..." he spoke quietly as he approached her, never taking his eye sockets off of her eyes for an instant, "I'm so happy, Sally...and I'm so sorry again...I should have known better...My savior...My perfect Sally..." He came to stand in front of her on the top of the hill.

"No, Jack...don't be sorry. If anything...you were just like me. Restless, curious, having to accomplish exploring something despite being told several times that it was dangerous." She smiled at this, and then embraced him. "And you came back all right... That's what matters the most, Jack..." She pulled back, and offered the rib bone again. "I learned a lot of things today...and I understand."

Jack let out a shuddery sigh and instantly softened and smiled with love. "Oh Sally...yes, that's what I felt but...Sally, you're...you're more than enough to explore for the rest of forever...Christmas helped but...even at its best moment when everything seemed to be going perfectly...it was nothing compared to you...to my time with you...to how I feel about you..." His eyes fell downward to her little soft cloth fingers clutching his bone so gently. Even though he really couldn't feel what the bone was experiencing when it wasn't connected to the rest of his skeletal frame...he imagine that particular one to be in total bliss...And he really had missed her touch so very much...

"Oh...Jack..." A beaming smile came to Sally's face as she beamed with so much love, and then had an idea. "Jack...may I...put your bone back into place? ...You...you sewed my arm back on before...so...if you want, I could put this back for you..." She offered shyly.

Jack just remained smiling lovingly and daydreaming for a second or two more...Then his eye sockets popped open wide and he stopped being able to breathe. "Y-Y-You...m-m-my...h-h-huh?" he sort of squeaked out, nearly stumbling in the snow even though he was just standing still.

"Oh, never mind...I probably shouldn't have said that..." Embarrassed, Sally began to back away in shame, holding her arms out to him.

"No!" Jack instantly exclaimed in surprise, finally regaining himself a little. He took a step or two towards her. "I-I mean...n-no one's ever... done anything like that for me but...if anyone ever did..." he spoke so very quietly and shyly... "I'd want it to be you..." He looked at her sincerely.

"...Really? You would?" Sally looked at him with surprise, and then sweet happy relief. "A-All right then, I'll put it back in for you..."

Jack got the cutest, sweetest, shyest, tiniest little smile on his face...and then with a small swallow he reached up and gently began to undo his jacket and then his shirt buttons... "Thank you..." he whispered bashfully as his fingers gently fumbled with the buttons.

She turned away to let him do so in private, and then turned back to face him after he did. Sally gulped lightly, seeing a brief look at his exposed ribcage. Oh goodness, she wanted to touch them all, run her hands along them and just-

No. She had to focus.

"You're...you're welcome..." She slowly approached and peered in to where a bone was missing. Finding it, she carefully reached inside with the bone, her other hand holding his shoulder for support. She wedged it in, carefully, making sure it was connected back to the vertebrae, and then with a click and snap, managed to wedge it back in place. She gently patted it, and then pulled back. "Th-There you go..."

"O-O-Oh..." Jack sighed audibly and with such a shudder. "Oh...Sally..." And suddenly he had her tightly wrapped in his arms and he was just kissing her face and lips and every place he could find. His shirt was still half opened and he didn't even care, he just...he was in love! "I love you, I love you, I love you..." He kissed and kissed and kissed her.

"Ooh...!" Sally was taken aback by this, her arms flailing for a second, but then she brought her hands to his shoulders to keep herself standing. It was a wonder her legs hadn't given out or burst at the seams, as they stood there on the snowy Spiral Hill, with the snow falling all around them, on Christmas Eve...just being in love.

"I...I love-mmm..." She was cut off when he kissed her lips. and she held on even tighter. Once he pulled away to kiss other areas of her face, she giggled. "I love you, too... Merry Christmas, Jack..." Despite everything that had transpired, she had always wanted to say that.

Jack just smiled and smiled and chuckled and chuckled and kissed and kissed and hugged and hugged, never wanting to stop and especially not at those sweet words of hers. "Oh Merry...Christmas, my Sally. All mine...forever...Lovely, perfect Sally..." His enthusiasm reached its peak now and the consequence was that somehow or other they both tripped and fell into the snow together like this, still embracing.

Oh yes, down they went into the snowy ground! Sally had fallen backward and was now partly submerged in the snow, and blushingly realized Jack was on top of her. It made her remember back on their first date, when he had fallen and she ended up on top of him...or that first night they got together, and had been like this on his couch...

'_Oh dear..._' She thought, but then smiled all over again. '_What the hey...it's Christmas..._'

Jack was rather 'surprised' as well and at the very least he did try to calm down some of his enthusiasm a little considering their new position...But that didn't mean he was going to stop kissing her right away. No, he caught her mouth against his and pressed gently against it and angled his skull and savored it for a moment...or two...or three...and only then finally did he gently release her lips and just look down at her, his eye sockets half opened as he panted lightly in the cold and snow with a smile on his face. "S-Sorry again, my Sally...for knocking you down...Are you alright?" he randomly chuckled a little, unable to help it.

"Of course I'm all right...it wouldn't have hurt, but the snow softened my fall..." Sally rose her head a little more to prevent it from sinking any lower.

Jack let out a happy sigh. "You look so pretty in the snow..." escaped him dreamily...And then slowly reality started to sink in and the first thing he realized was that he was still completely on top of her. He blinked and instantly removed himself, dusted himself off a little and looked to her with a sheepish grin. "Heh...Well that was...fun, wasn't it?" he remarked nervously (unaware for the moment that his shirt was still half open).

"It was..." Sally sat up in the snow, wiping some snow and flakes off her hair. She looked up at the sky then, giggling. "You know...if you lie back and stare up at the sky, as the snow's falling...it's as if you're traveling up through the stars..."

Jack tilted his skull to the side curiously at her for a moment but then just smiled and started to crawl forward on the snow toward her with a happy, love filled grin. "You say the prettiest things in the whole-oh!" Moving forward had caused his shirt to fall open even more, exposing his bones to the cold and reminding him that she could still see his...He quickly sit back for a moment and looked down shyly and did his best to re-button up everything, fumbling the whole time. "U-Uh...yes, well...you do say really...pretty...things..." he reiterated with a touch of awkwardness.

Trying not to giggle, Sally smiled sweetly as she made herself comfortable, leaning back a bit as her hands supported her on the snowy ground. "Actually, I read that in a book once. And I've always wanted to see what it was like. But then moments later I was wondering what it the world snow was." She admitted, giggling.

Jack looked at her curiously for a moment longer and then he just smiled and laughed and moved himself to sit beside her on the snow. "Well...now we know, don't we..." He took her hand in his and then rested his skull against her head, snuggling into her hair.

"I guess we do, Jack..." Sally snuggled her head against his own in a sweet nuzzle.

Jack let out a perfectly content sigh, just savoring her nearness...Then he gulped and began in a whisper with a little smile, "Hey, um...Sally?"

"Mm-hmm?" Sally looked at him a bit, smiling.

Jack gulped again, still looking down at the snow as opposed to at her...still with a little smile on his face... "Dr. Finkelstein finished making Jewel, you know..."

"Oh...yes, he did... He was creating her before I left earlier today." Sally bit her lip. "I...asked him what he was doing, and...he said he wanted to create another companion...so he wouldn't be alone if I ever left one day. ...Well, if I ever did, it wouldn't be for forever... I'd come visit him...help if he needed anything... We may have had tough times in the past...but lately...well, I realize that what's he done...in protecting me really was just misguided sometimes. But, he's...well, kind of like a father to me." She smiled a bit then. "But it will be nice for him to have a wife. ...He said he wanted someone...who he could love and would love him, too."

Jack let out a small...sort of shuddery...sigh at all of this information. And then he asked, carefully...and...actually happy that she had given him a perfect lead in to the topic... "Yes, it's...wonderful that he's made someone to love him and whom he can love...And it's especially wonderful that if you ever left he wouldn't be alone.." He smiled a little more. "Just out of curiosity though...were you planning to leave him at all, Sally...and...where oh where might you go if you did?"

"Mmm..." Sally paused and thought for a moment before shrugging lightly. "I don't know. I haven't thought about it, really. I guess...I will have to leave sometime, won't I?" She giggled at this. "Well, I suppose when it happens, I'll take it one step at a time, go through the process and make sure all is settled before I go. I'll find a place of my own...it shouldn't be too hard. In fact, it would be kind of nice to get out on my own...have my own place, be able to prove myself as being self-sufficient, taking care of a place that's my own...who knows, Jack? I think it could be great to do that. Well, once I'm ready and he's willing to let me go, I'll certainly find a nice place to live."

Jack blinked and glanced at her curiously for a moment. Then he let out a little sigh. "O-Oh...a place on your own...Yes, well...I'm sure that'll be lovely, Sally...I wish you luck with it, I know you'll do very well at taking care of yourself..." He snuggled into her a little more.

"Oh, thank you, Jack..." Sally snuggled into him as well. "But um...why do you ask?"

Jack's eye sockets popped open for a second. Then he glanced away bashfully. "O-Oh, erm...n-no reason..." he replied in a shy, nervous mumble..

"Jack, you're nervous and acting shy..." Sally smiled. "That means you want to tell me or ask me something but you're nervous about doing that. You can tell me what's on your mind...I won't laugh or judge you."

Jack blinked and gulped...and then looked at her unsurely. "I-It's just, I...guess I was hoping...that...when you said you'd stop living with Dr. Finkelstein one day...it would be to...start living with...w-with, um...me..." He let out a sigh and turned to look forward shyly at the snow again, hoping he hadn't made a mistake admitting that. "I'm sorry, Sally, that was probably too forward and presumptuous... I...I'm sorry..."

Sally blinked a few times, her eyes going wide. Had she heard him right? To move in with him? Together? Only after a month of courting? Was he...really that serious about her? Not that she doubted his love for her, not by any means. But to really see that, she was shocked.

"Jack...you...you...you want me to move in with you? ...Really? I..well...what brought this on...?"

Jack gulped, taking her surprise as a sign that she really was a little 'taken aback' by this proposal from him. "I-I...I just...love you, and...want to be with you always, and...when my sleigh was shot down all I could think of was _you_ as I was falling, and...Oogie Boogie almost...almost...a-and...you forgive me, a-and...But I'm sorry, I didn't mean to overstep..." He looked at her sincerely with a little frown on his face.

"No...no...don't say that." Sally shook her head at that, and rose up in the snow a bit more to kneel in front of him. "I just didn't expect that at all, it's...well, a lot for me to take in. And I'm sorry...I didn't even catch on to what you were trying to ask me. I should have known better... But..." Then she smiled, beaming at him. "Jack...yes. I will."

Jack froze up entirey eye, his eye sockets so very wide... He just looked at her. "You...will?" he whispered in awe.

Taking his hands, she nodded, smiling all the more. "Yes. I...I realized what you just said now... When I heard you were blown to smithereens...I thought I'd lost you forever, Jack... And I...I was terrified. It was exactly as I feared with my premonition. But you came back, you were okay..." Tears pooled in her eyes. "It may have been only a month since we started courting, but...that doesn't matter. If we want to live together...we can. ...I love you, and I want to be with you..."

He just watched her in shock for a moment and then instantly he hugged her and lifted her up and spun her around and then scooped her up in his arms to cradle her. He looked down at her with a beaming smile. "Oh thank you, Sally...Thank you, thank you, thank you! You've made me the happiest man in the world! Oh Sally, I know you have to say your goodbyes to Dr. Finkelstein and pack up your room but then in a few days you'll come to me and..." he blinked several times, getting a little awkward smile on his face, "O-Oh, well, of course you'll have your own room with me, first of all, heh...A-And I'll spend the next couple of days getting it all set up for you. Would you like that, Sally, would that be alright?" he looked to her sincerely.

"Really...? Really, Jack? I...I...this is..." Sally hugged him around his shoulders happily, and pulled back to snuggle against him as he held her. "That would be great..."

Jack's spine slumped and his grin went all goofy. "Uh...s-splendid..." he chuckled out. Then he sighed and looked down at her. "Sally, I...I-I know it's late, but, if you say yes, I'll send Zero with a note to the doctor explaining things to him and asking him for an exception on your curfew tonight but...remember how on our first date we talked about spending Christmas Eve after my flight sitting together in my...our...house...drinking cocoa with marshmallows and looking at the tree, all warm in a blanket and...s-snuggling...and kissing..." He gulped. "Would you like to do that perhaps, Sally?"

"We can still do that?" Sally beamed, the smile on her face growing so much that it threatened to burst her stitches at the corners of her mouth. "I'd love to..."

Jack's bones trembled with warmth...and then he grinned down at her...and he even deepened his voice a little... "Well, then...what are we waiting for, my spookiest savior of Christmas...Shall we then?" He leaned in extra close to her.

"Oooh..." Sally felt a shiver run up and down her spine. "Nothing...so...we shall..."

Jack felt her tremble in his arms and it made him tremble a little as well. He just smiled down at her more, speaking in a deep whisper with a chuckle. "Come on...we'll get all cozy and all warm...and then in between snuggles...and kisses...I'll tell you all about how good of a job you did putting my bone back inside of me..." He placed a sweet kiss upon her forehead and then instantly he was off with her, racing back to his observatory house.

Sally smiled all the more, beaming as she planted a little kiss on his cheek as he ran through the snow-covered streets of the town. Everything was okay now, including between the two of them, A lot was learned in this journey, and in time, who knows what could happen? And now she was heading to a new step in her life. Moving out. And then moving in...

"Thank you for everything, Jack... I love you." She whispered to him sweetly.

Jack let out a perfectly peaceful sigh... "I love you too...I love you, Sally..." The gate to their home came in sight and he raced toward it in utter bliss, finally at his happiest with his Sally in his arms, his bones all full of love.

And so it was a rather...'unusual' Christmas...but in the end Jack and Sally and everyone got to be with their loved ones, as was most important, just like Santa had said. And it was a very, very, very merry Christmas indeed.


End file.
